Spitfires Headlines

Spitfires Hand Out Awards

By Gus Lagrandeur --Apr. 6, 2009.

On Saturday April 4 the Aylmer Junior C Spitfires officially ended their 2008-09 season by hosting their Annual Fish Fry and Banquet night. The special night is fast becoming a must-attend for all as every seat in the hall was filled and every plate was overflowing with delicious perch.

The award ceremony began with President Charlie Roloson thanking all of the Spitfires major sponsors – Aylmer ValuMart, Spriet and Associates, and Walker Tarnsport. The continued support of these major sponsors plus the many other sponsors in and around Aylmer enable the Spitfires to survive and bring you some exciting hockey.

Roloson also made the announcement that Head Coach Mike Shewan will be returning as Head Coach for next year and adding the duties of General Manager. Jeff Morrison, who has spent the last two seasons as the GM decided to step down from the position for personal reasons.

Coach Shewan said the season was “A year of firsts”. It was his ‘first’ year as a head coach, the players needed to be commended for the ‘first’ round victory over Paris, and the fact that there were a lot of ‘first’ year players on the team.

The Coach also took the opportunity to thank several people including the Executive, his Assistant Coach Dave Kontzie, and a special thank you to the “Best training staff” he has even been a part of in his hockey career. The outstanding work of Gerry Ellison, Rick Corlett, Glen Rohrer, and Ron Sidaway were always noticed by coaches and players and never under appreciated.

AWARD WINNERS

The players were next recognized with the league awards plus team awards.

Leading the way was Captain Graham Spriel. The Coaches and GM’s of the Niagara West Division selected Graham as the League Most Valuable Player. The highly skilled offensive player was also chosen as the Spitfires regular season and playoff MVP.

The awards continued to roll in for Graham as he won the trophy for most points during the regular season and shared the top points award for the playoffs with Adam Vandepoele.

Another player highly recognized for his efforts this season is first year defenseman Brandon Harbour. The league coaches recognized him as the Top Defenseman in the West Division and also as the Most Sportsmanlike Player.

Brandon was honoured with the teams’ Top D-Man award and the Rookie of the Year. Brandon played in every game this season amassing two goals and seven assists and more impressive only ten penalty minutes.

The Most Improved Player was given to Cassidy North. As the season wore on, Cassidy’s confidence and comfort level rose. He made numerous end-to-end rushes with the puck and was able to use his speed to get back on defense. His season cut short with by injury, Cassidy will look to come back stronger and continue to make an impact next season with the Spitfires.

Travis Schruder was awarded the Most Dedicated Player. Travis missed only one game all season and he was relied upon by the coaches in many situations. His four power play goals, his four short-handed goals and throw in his three game winning goals give proof that in all game situations, Travis was there for his team.

Veteran goalie Brandon Rohrer won the Top Goalie for the Spitfires. Brandon played in twenty-six regular season games and had a record of 14-10-2. His save percentage was amongst the league leaders even though he faced the third most shots.

The Spitfires now look ahead to the 2009-10 season. The scouting and recruitment of players begin and a good place to start looking is at the Spitfire Summer league. The league starts at the end of June and runs through to the end of July. Registration forms are available on the Spitfire website.

Another summer event to mark down is the Annual Spitfire Golf Tournament. Look for advertisements in this paper in weeks to come.

And finally, a great big thanks to you the fans that support the team in many ways. Your attendance at the many fundraising efforts and at the games all season long is very much appreciated. The Spitfires hope you also support the numerous sponsors of the Spitfires so in a greater team concept, we can all bring you more Junior C action.

“C” you next season!

Three Spitfires End Junior Careers

By Gus Lagrandeur -- Mar. 30, 2009.

The Aylmer Spitfires organization will have to scout for some fresh faces once again as they will say thank you and fare thee well to three veteran players. The three players will be recognized at the Annual Fish Fry and Dance this Saturday April 4.

Captain and scoring sensation Graham Spriel, Assistant Captain and steady defenseman Kyle Simpson, and one of the original Spitfires, Rob DeSutter, all played their last game as a Junior eligible player.

In his two seasons with the Spitfires, Graham Spriel lit the lamp 59 times and added 54 assists in 67 regular season games. The playoffs had Graham scoring sixteen goals and having fifteen assists for 31 points in just 19 games.

Graham was a threat on the power play notching 13 goals and team high 8 goals while short-handed over the two season. Many of Graham’s goals were scored by using his powerful wrist shot that consistently found the top corner just over the glove hand of the opposing goalies.

The Dorchester native was selected as the Niagara Junior C West division Most Valuable Player for the 2008-09 season.

Graham is currently enrolled at King’s University at UWO. He is in his third year Business program specializing in Finance and Administration. Graham does not see any competitive hockey in the near future as he concentrates on his studies.

When asked what his favourite memory of his days as a Spitfire, Graham stated the time hanging out with the teammates before and after practices and games and the friendships made along the way that he will never forget. Graham said he enjoyed playing before the Aylmer fans and his two seasons as an Aylmer Spitfire.

Kyle Simpson has been with the Spitfires for four seasons. Kyle became a steady force along the blue line for the Spits. He had his best offensive season in the 2007-08 season where he scored six goals and added 20 assists.

Simpson, also from Dorchester, was given the Assistant Captain role this year. Kyle gave his all every time on the ice and often was called upon to shut down the opposing teams’ top line.

Kyle is also enrolled at UWO and will be graduating this spring with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a minor in Criminology. Kyle has plans to apply to law school upon graduation.

Kyle’s future in hockey will again be dependent on his schooling. Kyle says he is not quite ready for the “Beer Leagues” and may look into Senior A or hockey in Europe.

The camaraderie on the way to the rink with team mates, the shenanigans with equipment manager Ron Sidaway, the strong friendships with the Coaches and Spitfire executives and all teammates will leave Kyle with a good memory of his days as a Spitfire.

Aylmer native Rob DeSutter was on the Spitfire roster the first year they joined the Junior C League. He played a total of six years starting as an under aged player to this past year as an over-aged player. Not having all the statistics, it would be a safe guess that Rob may be the career leader in games played as a Spitfire.

Rob started out as a forward for the Spits but played the majority of his career along the blue line. Rob had to play through numerous injuries over his time as a Spitfire but would do his best to come back to help his team as much as possible.

His favourite memory as a Spitfire goes back to his first season playing in the old Sydenham Street arena. The atmosphere during the playoffs with a capacity crowd on hand to watch made for some exciting hockey and fond memories.

Rob is currently working for DeSutter Homes that will limit his competitive playing days for the near future.

The Spitfire organization will have their work cut out for them this off-season to find new players to fill the void left by Spriel, Simpson, and DeSutter. The qualities they brought forward on the ice may be found in the newcomers but the qualities that Graham, Kyle, and Rob brought off the ice may not be as easy.

The professionalism, the dedication, the honest hard-working approach, and the positive attitude that these three men brought to the Aylmer Spitfires will be missed greatly. The Spitfire team would like to extend their thanks to Graham, Kyle, and Rob for their service to the Spitfires and wish them well with their future endeavors.

Remember fans, the Annual Fish Fry and Dance will be held at the Complex this Saturday April 4. Dinner is at 6 pm with awards presentations to be followed by the dance at 8 pm. For tickets contact Darren Walcarius and Charlie Roloson. ‘C’ you there!

Spitfires Ousted in Five

By Gus Lagrandeur -- Mar. 1, 2009.

Well, at least in wasn’t to Norwich. The Aylmer Spitfires lost 4-3 in game 5 to the Simcoe Storm last Friday night to lose the Niagara West semi-final series four games to one.

It is a small consolation to the Aylmer Spitfire Organization but the goal of reaching the Niagara West Division Final will have to wait another year.

In Game 5, Aylmer scored first on the power play. A hard, low shot from Brandon Harbour from the point was stopped by the Simcoe goalie but he allowed a juicy rebound that Adam Vandepoele jumped on and slid the puck into the open net.

Aylmer went on a four-minute man advantage just forty seconds later but Simcoe’s penalty killing units still were thinking offence. A breakaway goal and then a goal on a two-on-one break while still shorthanded gave the Storm the lead after twenty minutes of play.

Spitfire Curt Maracle tied the game at two just 1:27 into the second period. Some strong fore-checking by Travis Schruder had the Simcoe defender turn over the puck in front of the net where Maracle was waiting and a quick wrist shot found the net.

Aylmer then had to deal with the loss of two forwards as high energy forward Tim Donovan was ejected for a check from behind call and Travis Schruder took a deflected slap shot in the mouth area and had to leave the game for stitches.

Simcoe would score two more goals in the second period to take a 4-2 lead. The puck somehow found a Simcoe forward’s stick during a mad scramble in front of the net and the quick shot surprised Brad Booy in goal for goal number three.

The fourth goal had the puck bouncing in a Spitfire defenders feet at mid-ice. A Simcoe forward scooped in and had a breakaway where he buried a goal by Booy.

Captain Graham Spriel completed the scoring in the game with another power play goal. Tyler DeDecker and Adam Vandepoele broke into the Simcoe end and got the puck to Spriel. Spriel took a shot and followed the play where he slammed home his own rebound.

The third period had Simcoe put up a defensive front, preventing few quality-scoring chances for the Spitfires. Curtis Roloson had a wrist shot go off of the goal post and a wild scrum at the net as the buzzer sounded to end the game were two opportunities the Spits had but it was not to be and the series went to Simcoe.

Game five existed only because of a 4-3 home ice win by the Spitfires last Wednesday. Sean Mullin scored the game winner on the power play at the 7:22 mark of the third period.

Aylmer jumped out to another 2-0 lead on goals by Mark Pfohl and Graham Spriel. Simcoe cut the lead to 2-1 after one period of play and tied it at 2-2 just two and half minutes into the second frame. Travis Schruder regained Aylmer’s lead before the end of the second.

Brad Booy got the start in goal for Aylmer in game four. It was his first start since the last game of the regular season. It does not need to be said that Brad stood tall in goal to earn the win. Anyone can tell from afar that Brad stands tall all the time.

But in hockey terms, Brad was huge in goal, in particular during the third period. Brad faced 19 shots in the third, facing constant pressure by the Storm. He handled the rebounds calmly, his decisions to cover the puck to slow the pace down were good, and he did not lose his focus when Simcoe forwards knocked him over a few times.

Simcoe did get one by Brad to tie the game at three but Sean Mullin’s winning wrist shot from the point sent the series back to Simcoe.

The Simcoe Storm will now face the Norwich Merchants in the division final. Norwich defeated the Woodstock Renegades in six games.

FISH FRY and DANCE

The Spitfires will be hosting their Annual Fish Fry and Dance on Saturday April 4. Dinner is an all you can eat perch dinner at a cost of $20 per person. Kids twelve and under will be $5.00. Tickets are available from any Spitfire executive or check out the Spitfire website for more information.

Mullin Scores Winner to Extend Series

By Gus Lagrandeur -- Feb. 26, 2009.

Defenseman Sean Mullin did not have to use his cannon of a slap shot to score the winning goal. A well-placed wrist shot from the blue line found the right side of the net giving Aylmer a 4-3 lead, a lead they would not give up on this night.

The win allowed the Spitfires to extend their best-of-seven series against the Simcoe Storm to a fifth game. Game five will be played on Friday night in Simcoe at 7:30pm. Simcoe leads the series three games to one.

Mullin’s power play goal regained Aylmer’s lead at 4-3. Storm forward Zane Neilly had tied the game at three four minutes earlier. The Spitfires never trailed in this game leading 2-1 after one and 3-2 after the two periods of play.

The Spits scored the first two goals of the game on Wednesday just like they did a few nights earlier in Game 3. Mark Pfohl scored first on a nice backhand above the glove hand while fending off a Simcoe defender.

Graham Spriel continued to find the back of the net re-directing a point shot from Kyle Simpson. The goal was Graham’s eighth goal in nine playoff games. Simcoe’s veteran forward Joel Rennie scored a couple of minutes later to cut into Aylmer’s lead.

Simcoe’s power play evened the game at two on a screen shot that Aylmer goalie Brad Booy did not see at all. With the game tied at two, Simcoe continued to press Aylmer but Travis Schruder scored to give the Spits a lead heading into the second intermission.

Travis was parked in front of the net being checked closely. He was able to keep his eye on the play and saw the puck come towards him from behind the net. A quick slap of the puck fooled the Simcoe goalie and Travis had his seventh goal of the post-season.

With Mullin scoring Aylmer’s fourth goal at the 7:22 mark of the third, there was plenty of time for Simcoe’s offence to get the equalizer again. Brad Booy would not hear of it.

Brad started in goal for the first time since the last game of the regular season. It does not need to be said that Brad stood tall in goal to earn the win. Anyone can tell from afar that Brad stands tall all the time. But in hockey terms Brad was huge in goal, particularly in the third period.

Simcoe out shot Aylmer 19-4 in the final frame but Brad handled the pressure calmly. The rebounds were few, the decisions to cover the puck when the heat was on were good, and with Simcoe trying to get to him by knocking him over, he did not lose his focus.

Now it is back to the Talbot Gardens in Simcoe on Friday night. Should Aylmer come away with another victory, game six will be played in Aylmer on Saturday night with the puck drop slated for 7:30 pm.

Spitfires Down Three Love

By Gus Lagrandeur -- Feb. 23, 2009.

The Aylmer Spitfires find themselves in a big hole in their best of seven Niagara West Division Semi-Final series against the Simcoe Storm. After a 5-2 loss Sunday night in Simcoe, the Spitfires trail the series 3-0. Game four is Wednesday in Aylmer at 7:15.

The hole has been dug but the Spitfires are not buried. It has been done before although it is a rare feat to come back from such a deficit. But history can repeat itself.

In the NHL, the only two times a team has come back from being down three games to zero. In 1942, the Toronto Maple Leafs roared back to defeat the Detroit Red Wings in seven games to win the Stanley Cup.

In 1975, the New York Islanders faced elimination against the Pittsburgh Penguins before winning the next four games to move on and eventually win the Stanley Cup. More recently a 3-0 comeback that the Spits players may recall is in baseball where the Boston Red Sox won four straight against the New York Yankees in 2004 and again went on to win the championship. It is possible!

It is a huge task but a task that can be achieved with great will and determination. The Spitfires can play against the Simcoe Storm. In this series, the Spits have had leads in two of the three games but failed to build on them allowing the potent Simcoe offence to comeback and take the wins away.

In Game 3 on Sunday in Simcoe, Aylmer jumped out to a 2-0 lead with just eight minutes expired in the first period. Tyler DeDecker jumped on a loose puck after a Simcoe turnover and slid the puck to Adam Vandepoele. Adam then neatly faked the goalie out and slid the puck into the net.

Four minutes later, the two hooked up again. This time Vandepoele passed the puck to DeDecker who fired a low wrist shot by the goalie giving Aylmer a 2-0 lead. The lead would not hold as Storm surged back in the opening period, scoring twice to tie the game at two after one period of play.

The Spitfires were unable to sustain any offensive pressure the rest of the game and relied upon Brandon Rohrer in goal to keep the game close. Aylmer fired only 18 shots on goal in the last two periods compared to 35 for the Storm.

An Aylmer turnover in their own end zone allowed Simcoe to take a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. The game remained close until Simcoe fired two late goals to make the final 5-2 Simcoe.

In Game 2 Saturday night in Aylmer, a Mark Pfohl power play goal in the first period gave the Spits a 2-1 lead after the first period. Simcoe had scored first in this game only to have Adam Vandepoele tie it at one.

The second period had both teams put up a defensive front as Simcoe fired only 7 shots on goal compared to Aylmer’s four at the Simcoe net. Simcoe did tie the game at two with a power play goal.

The third period had Simcoe score three goals before the ten minute mark. Aylmer attempted to mount a comeback with a power play goal by Tyler DeDecker with four minutes to play. But it was too little too late for the Spits as they fell 5-3.

Game 1 Recap

The first game of the series was played back on Tuesday February 17 in Simcoe. Offense was the story of this game as Simcoe won 8-6. This game had many momentum shifts with the Storm getting the last momentum outburst to take the win.

Simcoe lead 2-0 after the first but two goals by the Spitfires within the first minute of the second period got things evened up. Graham Spriel and Mark Pfohl scored twenty-one seconds apart to tie the game. Simcoe went ahead 3-2 only to have Spit forward Travis Schruder tie the game with a short-handed marker.

Two goals late in the second frame by Simcoe gave them a two goal lead into the third period. In the final frame, the lead was quickly erased again as Adam Vandepoele and Graham Spriel each scored tying the game at five.

The Simcoe offences kicked into gear again as they scored three times in a 2:11 span to put the game away. Mark Pfohl scored his second of the game to make the final 8-6 Simcoe.

Now down 3-0, Aylmer has to pull out all the stops to get back into the series. The clichés are sure to come out now. We have heard them before all in numerous interviews when a team is down. But what do the Spitfires need to do to extend the series.

Firstly, contain Storm forward Zane Neilly. Neilly scored five points in game one, four in game two, and two in game three. In the three games so far, he has 11 points with four goals.

The Spitfires have to prevent the long stretch pass by the Simcoe defense to the forward sneaking behind the Aylmer D. Three goals have been scored in this manner so far in the series.

Attain some offensive pressure. The fore check needs to hurry up the Simcoe D creating a bad pass or turnovers. Aylmer’s two goals Sunday night resulted by creating turnovers and going to the net.

All this is easily said. It is the players who will decide if they want to continue to play in this series. They have the talent to win. They just have to look within themselves to find if they have the desire, the determination, and the will to survive.

Remember, Game 4 is tonight at 7:15 pm at the Complex.

SPITFIRES ADVANCE TO

NIAGARA WEST SEMI-FINALS

Feb. 16th, 2009.

Spitfires Win Game 4 By Gus LaGrandeur

The Aylmer Spitfires traveled to Paris for Game Four of the best of seven quarter-final series on Wednesday February 11. Aylmer won 5-4 taking a three games to one lead. It was the third straight game that was decided by one goal in the series.

Spitfire forward Mark Pfohl got things rolling scoring just 47 seconds into the game. An attempt pass to the front of the net struck the back of the goalie's legs and the puck slid to the back of the net. Travis Schruder and Curt Maracle earned assists on the goal.

The second period had Paris forge ahead with three straight goals. But as in all previous games in this series, to have a lead is good- but to hold onto it has been somewhat difficult. In all four games, a team has held a two goal lead but failed to hold it and win the game.

Before the second period was over, Aylmer replied with three goals to go ahead 4-3. Graham Spriel started the comeback scoring on a wrist shot. Graham, using the defenders' legs as a screen, ripped his potent wrist shot by the Paris goalie.

Travis Schruder scored the third Aylmer goal on a two-on-one break. Travis had just escaped the penalty box and received a pass from Adam Vandepoele. Travis tried to pass the puck across to his teammate but the puck was directed into the Paris net by the sliding defenseman.

Spriel scored his second of the game on a scramble in front of the net and gave Aylmer the 4-3 lead. The six goals in the second period came as a result of a total of 38 shots on goal - twenty by Paris and eighteen by Aylmer.

The third period the shots continued to be fired at the nets as Paris fired another 16 at goalie Brandon Rohrer. A power play goal had tied it at four for Paris nine minutes into the period.

Aylmer then went on their own power play after Mark Pfohl was checked into the boards from behind. On the ensuing man advantage, Adam Vandepoele capped off a three point night and scored the game winning goal.

Spits Take Quarter-finals in 5 Games. By Darren Walcarius

Game 5 was back on the Spits home ice and they were looking to finish off their series against the feisty Paris Mounties. The game started out as a see-saw battle with play going back and forth with neither team really taking control of the game. Mid way through the 1st period Aylmer Captain, Graham Spriel, tipped in a shot from Kyle Simpson on the blue line picking up his 5th goal of the playoffs on the power play. Adam Vandepoele also assisted on the play. Giving the Spits a one goal lead which they held going into the 2nd period. Brandon Rohrer made several key saves to keep the Mounties off the board stopping all 16 shots in the period.

The 2nd period Aylmer started to build on the momentum they created in the 1st with some hard work from Aylmer’s own, Curtis Roloson, scoring his 4th goal of the play-offs at the 5:32 mark. Assisted by Mark Pfohl and Sean Mullin. Aylmer was once again able to take advantage of the power play mid way through the 2nd, when Travis Schruder banked a shot from behind the net, off the goalie and in, to increase the lead to 3. Travis’s goal was also his 5th of the playoffs assisted by Mark Pfohl and Kyle Simpson. With the 3 goal lead the Spits kept the pressure on with Paris goalie, Duncan Long, fending off several Spits attacks with a shot total for the 2nd period alone, Spits 25, Paris 8.

In the 3rd period, the Mounties “Never Say Die” attitude showed once more as they pressured the Spits Defence. With a 2 man advantage Paris finally managed to get one past the Aylmer goal line at the 4:52 mark of the period, narrowing the Spits lead to 2. From then on the Spits wouldn’t give any ground and they went on to the Game 5 win, 3-1 and series Victory 4 games to 1. Final shot totals for the game were Aylmer 47, Paris 36.

The Spitfires now advance to the Niagara West Division Semi-Finals against the regular season 2nd place finishers, Simcoe Storm. Aylmer finished the season in 3rd place, just 2 points back of the Storm. The season series between the two teams ended with Simcoe holding the edge 4-2 with one of those victories coming via the shootout. This all adds up to what should be an exciting series. Game 1 goes in Simcoe, Tues. Feb. 17th at 8:30 pm. With Game 2 back in Aylmer, Sat. Feb. 21st at 7:30 pm. The Spits will also be hosting a BX93 Video Dance Party Sat. Feb. 21st, anyone with advance tickets to the dance will receive free admission to the game that night by showing their ticket at the admission table. As always follow all the Spitfire upcoming games, game results and other activities on their website, www.aylmerspitfires.com C’Ya There!

Spitfires Take Series Lead

By Gus Lagrandeur -- Feb. 10, 2009.

It took double overtime but the Aylmer Spitfires held onto home ice advantage in their quarter-final series against the Paris Mounties. A 4-3 victory on Monday night gives Aylmer a two game to one lead in the best of seven series.

Spitfire forward Tyler DeDecker scored the game winner a few minutes into the second overtime period on a high backhand shot that somehow eluded Paris goalie Duncan Long. It was Aylmer’s sixtieth shot on goal in the game and probably the slowest shot Long had to face all night.

In what looked like just an attempt to keep the puck in the offensive zone, DeDecker flipped the puck high and towards the net. Long raised his glove hand to catch the puck but missed. The puck bounced off of the glove, off of Long’s back and into the net for the winning goal. May not have been the prettiest goal but the Spits will take it.

In a series where no lead has been safe, game three continued the trend where a team has come from behind to get the victory. Aylmer had fallen behind 2-0 after the opening period allowing a Paris power play goal and a goal on a two-on-one break.

The Spits’ Brandon Harbour scored his first of the series in the second period on the power play. Brandon fired off a slap shot over the shoulder of the Paris goalie after receiving a pass from Adam Vandepoele.

Aylmer had fallen behind 3-1 midway through the third period when Graham Spriel re-directed a low shot from Harbour into the Paris net to make the score 3-2 Paris. Curtis Roloson scored his third goal of the series a few minutes later to tie the game forcing both teams into overtime for the second straight game.

In the first overtime neither team could find the back of net even though both squads had good scoring chances. Both Brandon Rohrer in the Aylmer net and Duncan Long in Paris’ goal were solid between the pipes until DeDecker’s winning goal in period number five.

In game two played last Saturday night in Paris, it was Aylmer that held a 3-1 lead in the third period and had it slip away. Travis Schruder and Curtis Roloson spotted Aylmer to a 2-0 lead after the first period. Paris cut into the lead in the second only to have Schruder notch his second of the night, regaining Aylmer’s two goal lead.

The Spitfires played the better part of this game a depleted defensive corps. Two regular D-Men are injured and one was away on vacation. Derek McTaggart, Brandon Harbour, Rob DeSutter, Sean Mullin, and Rhys Thornton did all they could do help out Brandon Rohrer in goal and fend off the relentless attack of the Mounties.

A blitz by Paris had them rally back and tie the game with two quick goals. Aylmer was able to get the lead again as Sean Mullin fired in a snapshot from the blue line with 2:04 left on the clock.

However, twenty-seven seconds later, after a turnover by Aylmer at centre ice, the Mounties forged into Aylmer’s zone and tied the game at four. The fourth period lasted just under three minutes as Matthew Dickens got outside of an Aylmer defender and fired a wrist shot by Brandon Rohrer for the game winner.

In Game one, Aylmer jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Tim Donovan and Adam Vandepoele. Three goals in a row by the visitors, the last two 27 seconds apart, gave Paris a 3-2 lead after one period of play.

Curtis Roloson scored the lone goal of the second period to tie it at three. Aylmer took the lead on a goal by Graham Spriel at 3:20 of the third which was quickly followed by a Travis Schruder goal at the 5:37 mark. Brandon Rohrer denied another Paris comeback as Aylmer won 5-3.

The series continues on Wednesday February 11 in Paris at 7:30 pm. Game 5 will be played back in Aylmer on Saturday February 14th with a 7:30 start time. As you can tell, the games have been very close which makes for exciting hockey. Come out and watch play off hockey. C you there!

Vandepoele and Rohrer Big in Shoot Out

By Gus Lagrandeur -- Feb. 2, 2009.

Adam Vandepoele scored the game tying goal in the third period then scored two times in the shoot out to help the Aylmer Spitfires secure a third place finish in the Niagara Junior C West division.

But if not for the great play of goaltender Brandon Rohrer, there may have never been a shoot in the first place. Brandon stopped 35 of the 37 shots he faced and then stopped three of the four shots in the shoot out to earn his fourteenth win of the year.

Due to the Ontario Men’s Curling Championships being held at the Woodstock Complex, the game was moved over to the old Civic Centre Arena. The teams had to adjust going from an Olympic sized ice pad to a rink that is smaller than the old Sydenham Street arena here in Aylmer.

For a goaltender that can be a major adjustment as the angles are different on the shots coming on to you and the players get to the front of the net a lot quicker so rebound control is even more important.

Brandon was in total control all game long as he was always at the top of the crease to cut off those shooters’ angles and very rarely gave up any rebounds. The veteran netminder then hurried the shooters during the penalty shots by coming out to meet them well past the hash marks forcing the shooters to decide earlier then expected on what they were going to do.

Aylmer got on the score sheet first on a rebound shot from Joey Hunter. Some good fore checking by Rhys Thornton and Tim Donovan created a turnover and after a shot from the blue line, Hunter was in perfect position to slide a back hander into the open net. Woodstock would score two goals including a power play marker to take the lead into the third period.

Knowing a win in this game would give Aylmer third place and a date against Paris in the first round of the play offs, the Spits came out quickly in the third and tied the game at two just 51 seconds in.

A low point shot by Kyle Simpson was stopped by the Woodstock goalie who seemed to lose sight of the puck. Adam Vandepoele was in the right place to bang in the rebound and tie the game at two. With no more scoring in the third or the overtime period, the game went into a shoot out.

Aylmer went first and Coach Shewan went with the hot hand and sent out number 17 Adam Vandepoele. A quick move to his right got the goalie to open up his pads and Adam slid the puck underneath for the goal.

Brandon Rohrer then had his turn to shine as he stopped the first two Woodstock shooters. Aylmer’s second and third shooters narrowly missed on their chances so it came down to the final shooter for the ‘Gades. A wrist shot that just snuck through Brandon’s left arm got to the back of the net therefore extra shooters were now needed.

Again, Vandepoele was sent back out and this time took a nice wrist shot low to the stick side of the goalie giving Aylmer a lead. Woodstock sent out their first shooter again but Brandon gave him nothing to shoot at and forced the shooter to miss the net. Final: Aylmer 3 Woodstock 2.

The win gave Aylmer a record of 20-12-3 for 43 points. Woodstock earned a point with the overtime loss and a record of 19-13-3 for 41 points. With both teams playing on Saturday night, the outcome in those games didn’t really matter as Aylmer held the advantage in the tie breaking format thus giving them third place.

The play offs for Aylmer will begin at home On Wednesday February 4th at 7:15 pm against the Paris Mounties.

Spitfires Win Third Straight in Shoot Out

A wild, come-from-behind 6-5 shoot out victory on home ice over the first place Norwich Merchants has the Aylmer Spitfires rolling at just the right time as they get ready to start the post season this week.

It took another shoot out, the third in as many games for the Spitfires, but a win is a win. Aylmer trailed 4-0 after one period then 5-2 for much of the second period but the Spitfires never said die and continued to battle back.

The grit, the tenacity, and the not willing to lose that has been missing from the Spitfires recently have returned. With three hard fought shoot out victories in a row the Spits are ready to make some noise in the playoffs.

In Saturday’s game against Norwich, the Merchants offense continued to roll after scoring eleven goals the night before versus Paris. Four goals in the opening period by Norwich had the Aylmer crowd extremely quiet. More quiet than usual but lets hope the fans are saving up to make some noise in the playoffs for their home team.

Graham Spriel, who had just been awarded the Most Valuable Player Award in the West Division in the first intermission, gave the crowd a spark scoring just 24 seconds into the second. Spriel didn’t slow down there as he set up winger Tyler DeDecker 21 seconds later to cut Norwich’s lead in half.

Norwich stretched the lead to three a few minutes later but the resolve in Aylmer’s game showed as they continued to press and out shoot Norwich 14-8 in the period. Spitfire forward Mark Pfohl made the score 5-3 after two periods of play and set the stage for an exciting third period.

Tyler DeDecker scored his second goal of the game at the 4:01 mark and then a power play goal by Curtis Maracle got the Spitfires all the way back and force the game into overtime. Aylmer pressed for the victory in the extra frame out shooting the Merchants 6-2 but a shoot out was necessary to decide a winner.

Spitfire goalie Brad Booy displayed his desire to win in this game. After being down 4-0 after one, Brad stuck to his game plan and allowed only one goal in the final two periods and none in the overtime. He gave his teams’ offense time to get in gear and get back in the game.

In the shoot out, Brad stopped all four of the Norwich shooters. Tyler DeDecker scored on Aylmer’s fourth shot and completed the comeback for the Spitfires. Brad picked up his seventh win against only two losses and one overtime loss this season.

HARBOUR TOP D-MAN

First year defenseman Brandon Harbour was also honoured during the first intermission. The Aylmer native was selected as the Most Sportsmanlike Player and the Top Defenseman in the Niagara Junior C West Division.

Brandon played in all 36 games for the Spits. His steady improvement over the season as a first year defenseman has given the coaches the confidence to have Brandon on the ice in crucial situations.

And if you watch Brandon closely during the game, you will usually see a big smile on his face. He is a player who plays his heart out every shift and every game, a player who is proud to where his home town teams’ jersey and a player that has a lot of fun playing a game he really loves to play.

Come out and watch Brandon and the rest of the Spitfires on Wednesday February 4th at 7:15 pm as they open up the post season against the Paris Mounties.

Spitfire Playoff Preview

Yes! It is that time again. It is the best time of the year for hockey fans. It’s Playoff Time.

Aylmer Spitfires will begin their playoff season this Wednesday February 4th against the Paris Mounties. Game time for game one is set for 7:15 pm. Let’s take a look at both teams and what you can expect to see in Round one of the Niagara Junior C Playoff.

The third place Aylmer Spitfires head into the post season on a three game win streak. The record of 21 wins, 12 losses, and three ties for 45 points is just two wins short of last seasons total when they finished in first place.

Paris finished in sixth place with a record of 9-23-4 for 22 points. They are on a four game losing skid and have won once in their past eight games. It was still a much improved season for the Mounties after winning only three games the year before.

The two teams faced each other six times in the regular season with Aylmer winning five times and losing once. The Spitfires outscored the Mounties thirty-six to twenty in the six games.

Leading the attack against the Mounties was the line of Captain Graham Spriel, Tyler DeDecker and Adam Vandepoele. This forward line feasted on the Mounties by scoring 36 points.

Spriel led the charge with eight goals and ten assists, followed by DeDecker’s six goals and four assists and then Vandepoele’s three goals and five helpers.

Other Spitfires having some success in the season series include Travis Schruder with three goals and five assists, Joey Hunter with four goals, and Mark Pfohl notching three goals against Paris.

The defensemen have also been chipping in with the offence as Kyle Simpson, Sean Mullin, and Cassidy North have record five points in the six games.

In goal, Brad Booy got four starts against the Mounties winning three and losing once. Brandon Rohrer went 2-0 in his only action versus Paris.

Leading the way for the Paris team against Aylmer was Lee Rowland with five goals and one assist. Adam Manning also picked up six points with one goal and five helpers.

A new player to watch out for is Justin Knee. Knee was added at the signing deadline by the Mounties. In the three games he has played for Paris, he has scored four times. Knee played Junior B for the Waterloo Siskins prior to signing with Paris and had scored 21 goals and had 48 assists in 43 games played.

In goal, Duncan Long played five games against the Spitfires and won once while losing four.

The specialty team percentages in the six contests between each other were very close. Aylmer scored 6 goals on 41 power play tries for 14% success rate compared to Paris’ 5 goals in 39 attempts for a 13% success rate.

Overall, Aylmer was successful 17.2% of the time with the extra man compared to Paris’ 10.9%. Aylmer also scored five short-handed goals against the Mounties.

The Niagara West Quarter-Final series is set as follows: Game 1 in Aylmer Wednesday Feb. 4 at 7:15pm. Game 2 is in Paris Saturday February 7 at 7 pm. Game three will be back in Aylmer on Monday February 9th at 7:30 pm and game four is in Paris Wednesday February 11 at 7:30 pm.

Game 5 will have the series switch back in Aylmer on Saturday February 14th, game time to be at 7:30 pm. The sixth game will be on Sunday afternoon at 1:00pm and finally game seven is slated for Wednesday February 18th in Aylmer for a 7:15 pm start time.

Prediction: The Spits will win the series in five games.

The Spitfires have a Round 1 special for the kids. Any fan 14 years and under accompanied by an adult will get free admission to the game. So come on Aylmer. Get to the games and make some noise! Lets’ all help the Spitfires go deep into the playoffs.

Spitfires Battling for Third

The Aylmer Spitfires are in a real tight playoff race as they head into the final weekend of action. The Spitfires will travel to Woodstock on Friday night before hosting Norwich on Saturday night at 7:30 pm to complete the regular season.

The surprising thing is they are not battling for first or second place like many thought they would be. At the start of January, Aylmer was just five points behind first place Norwich and only one point behind second place Simcoe.

After a 3-5 record so far this month, the Spits now have 41 points and trail Norwich by 9 and Simcoe by 5. The Spits are now looking behind them and see that the Woodstock Renegades are only a win away from overtaking third place from them.

The winner of the game on Friday night will in all likelihood take third place. If Aylmer wins, they will have a three point cushion over the Renegades and secure the third seed.

If Woodstock beats Aylmer in regulation time they take over third by one point. Woodstock then will play sixth place Paris in their final game as Aylmer will take on Norwich, a team that has beaten Aylmer 4 of 5 times.

Aylmer has won four of the five games against Woodstock so far this season. Aylmer won the first game of the season on Woodstock’s home ice and has taken all three games at home.

Woodstock has been playing well of late. They have beaten Simcoe twice in their last two meetings and they are 1-1 against Norwich, the loss being a one nothing shut out.

Aylmer as stated has struggled in January, losing twice to Simcoe and Norwich and once to New Hamburg. The only W’s for the Spits have come against Paris twice and a shoot out win over New Hamburg this past Sunday.

It was a low scoring contest on Sunday afternoon in New Hamburg. A 2-1 shoot out victory by the Spitfires halted a three game losing skid.

Rhys Thornton scored his third goal of the season for the Spitfires and tied the game at one late in the second period. The third period had Aylmer take 15 shots on goal to New Hamburg’s eight shots but nobody could find the back of the net.

After five minutes of overtime and no game winning goal by either team, the teams went into a shoot out. Graham Spriel and Adam Vandepoele were both successful on their penalty shots and goaltender Brandon Rohrer earned the win for the Spitfires.

On Saturday night, New Hamburg snuck out of town with a 3-2 road win. The Firebirds scored the lone goal in the opening period and then jumped to a 2-0 lead a minute into the second frame.

Adam Vandepoele notched his 15th of the year to cut into the Firebirds lead. The Birds were quick to regain that two goal lead as they answered just 24 seconds later.

The third period had a steady stream of players heading into the sin bin as the referee handed out 18 penalties, twelve of which went to the Spitfires. Adam Vandepoele scored a short-handed goal to make the game close again but Aylmer was unable to get the equalizer as the Firebirds won 3-2.

Ouch! After the opening period, it looked like a typical Norwich-Aylmer contest as the score was 2-1 for the Merchants. Tyler DeDecker was the goal scorer for the Spits, his 21st of the year.

The flood gates opened on Aylmer in period number two as the home town Merchants exploded with six goals and cruised to a convincing 10-3. Norwich had six power play goals, four in the second frame alone, on nine attempts in the game.

Graham Spriel and Mark Pfohl each scored a goal in the third period for the Spitfires.

Once again, a key game for the Spits will be played on Friday January 30th at 7:30 in Woodstock. It is just a short drive to Woodstock so Spitfire fans, make the effort and go cheer your Spitfires to victory. And remember Saturday’s game versus Norwich at the EECC also at 7:30.

Many of you loyal Spitfire fans will remember these names: Adam Scott, Eric Hamilton, Jason Geerts, Matt Lynch, Rob Vanwynsberghe, Jeff Gardner, Ryan Fletcher, and Nathan Gavey.

What did these players have in common when they laced them up for the Spitfires game in and game out? A short list would be: skill and talent. And much of today’s Spitfire team has those two traits as well.

A longer list for the Alumni would include: strong team unity, desire, passion for the game, and most importantly HEART! With the season winding down for the Spitfires, the team will need to find miles and miles of heart to lead them to success.

Previous Spitfire teams lead by many of the Alumni mentioned above gave all that they had every time they stepped on the ice. There was nobody coasting or not giving 100%. If so, they would hear from the leaders. Although the leaders most often did not have to say much as they led by example.

It was Adam Scott who would go into the corner, many times outnumbered by the defenders, and come away with the puck. It was Eric Hamilton diving to block a shot when he was already playing hurt. It was Matt Lynch and Jason Geerts going through an opponent to get to the net first or to protect a teammate.

It was Rob Vanwynsberghe and Jeff Gardner making an end-to-end rush and not letting any of the opposition slow them down as they went hard to the net to get that important goal.

Or it was Ryan Fletcher dishing out a thunderous hit at the blue line to give his team a lift and let the other team know they will not have an easy ride to the Aylmer net.

The 2008-09 Spitfires need to find that desire to win at all cost, that motivation to not accept losing, the heart to play at your maximum potential every shift out there for themselves and for their teammates. In recent games, it all appears to have been missing for the Spitfires.

The past two games for the Spitfires have had their will or heart questioned by many. In Paris last Wednesday, the Spits needed a kick in the derriere during the second intermission. They responded with a five-goal rally in the third period to give them a 10-7 win.

Back at home Saturday against Simcoe, the Spitfires were completely outplayed as they lost a key match up 6-2. With a chance to move within one point of second place Simcoe, the Spitfires came out of the gates flat, getting only four shots on goal against the second worst defensive team in the division.

Aylmer 10 Paris 7

After jumping out to a 2-0 lead, Aylmer allowed the sixth place Mounties to rally and score three times to take a lead. The Spits managed to fight back and tie the period at three.

The Spits did not fare better in the second as Paris scored two goals seven seconds apart before the period was even a half-minute-old. Another goal three minutes later had Aylmer trailing 6-3. Goals continued to pour in for the two teams and Paris led 7-5 after two periods.

Once again, it took a well-scripted intermission speech by the coaches to fire up the troops. A speech you would think would not be necessary for a team that has vision of going deep into the play offs when playing the sixth place team.

The players responded to the challenge from the coaches and scored three goals in the first 2:00 minutes of play to take a lead. To more goals by the Spitfires made the 10-7.

Scoring for the Spitfires were Kory Kuipers and Graham Spriel with two each, Joey Hunter, Travis Schruder, Cassidy North, Mark Pfohl, Tim Donovan, and Tyler DeDecker all scored one goal.

Simcoe 6 Aylmer 2

This game should have had a play off atmosphere feel to it with both teams fighting to the end to get the big two points. Instead, it was a lackluster effort from the home team from the opening face off and a failed opportunity to make a statement to Simcoe that Aylmer will be a team to reckon with in the post season.

A three to nothing lead by Simcoe midway through the second period was cut to two on a break away goal by Graham Spriel. The goal should have given the team a spark but the jump was not there all night for the Spits as they went on to lose 6-2. Kyle Simpson was Aylmer’s other goal scorer.

A busy weekend is in store for the Spitfires as they play three games. Friday they travel to Norwich for an 8 pm start time. Saturday the New Hamburg Firebirds are in town for a start time of 7:30.

The Firebirds and Spits will get right back at it a few hours later as they make up a snowed out game from earlier this year. The two will play at 3:00 pm in New Hamburg on Sunday afternoon.

Come out to the game Saturday night as it is Family Night. Fun and games and prizes for all to enjoy. C you there.

Travis Schruder had a four-point night on Friday night as the Aylmer Spitfires took care of the visiting Paris Mounties with a 5-1 win. The Dorchester native proved his All Star status with a goal and three assists.

The Spitfires scored first on Curtis Maracle’s fifth power play goal of the year. Curtis re-directed a low shot by defenseman Sean Mullin. Tyler DeDecker picked up the second assist on the goal.

Travis Schruder scored Aylmer’s second goal while short-handed. Travis’ fifteenth goal and fourth while short-handed was scored officially as an unassisted goal. But unofficially, Mark Pfohl should be credited with an assist as his strong fore checking enabled Travis was able to scoop up the loose puck and go in on the goalie and fire a wrist shot to the glove hand side for the goal.

The second period the momentum switched over to Paris, as they were able to pin Aylmer in their own end thanks to five penalties taken by the Spitfires. Brad Booy was solid in goal for the Spits as he stopped thirteen of the fourteen shots he faced in the period.

The third period had the league’s best specialty teams take over and secure the win for Aylmer. Tyler DeDecker notched his seventh goal on the power play with assists going to Schruder and Pfohl. Graham Spriel then stretched the lead to three with a short-handed goal, again assisted by Travis Schruder.

Mark Pfohl closed out the scoring in the last minute of play to make the final 5-1 Aylmer. Spriel and Schruder earned the assists on Mark’s goal. Brad Booy picked up his sixth win of the year in goal stopping 26 of 27 shots.

With the win over Paris, the Spits solidified their hold onto third place. The teams’ record is 17-9-3 for 37 points. Norwich has a five-point lead over Simcoe for first place with 47 points. The Woodstock Renegades are in fourth place four points behind the Spitfires. New Hamburg and Paris continue to fight for fifth place with the Firebirds currently leading the Mounties by three points.

The Spitfires will be hard pressed to move up in the standings with only seven games left to play. They will need to win their last seven games, which would give them 51 points, and get some help to retain their division championship title.

Norwich has five games left and would need to win only two to get by Aylmer. Simcoe also have five games remaining and will need help to catch Norwich as the two have completed their regular season matches against one another.

The season continues for the Spitfires on Wednesday January 14 when then travel to Paris for a 7:30 pm start. The Spitfires will return home the following night to host the Simcoe Storm. Game time again will be 7:30 pm.

The New Year has not been a ‘Happy’ one so far for the Aylmer Spitfires as they lost their first two games in this the new calendar year. Aylmer lost to Norwich on home ice Saturday night 4-3 then came up short in a 5-2 loss versus Simcoe on Sunday night. The two losses prevented the Spitfires from gaining ground on the two teams ahead of them in the standings. Heading into the weekends games, Aylmer trailed Norwich by four points and Simcoe by three. Aylmer sits alone in third place with 35 points now six back of Norwich and five back of Simcoe. Not to make excuses, the schedule has not been kind to the Spitfires. After a two-week layoff over the holiday season, the Spits returned to action against two teams that never had a break in game action. Both Simcoe and Norwich had to play against each other two times while Aylmer sat idle at home.

In the game Saturday night against Norwich, the passing did not appear as crisp as pre-holiday contests for the Spitfires thus affecting their power play and some players seemed winded a lot earlier than normal. With that said, the Spitfires gave a strong effort but still lost 4-3. Norwich got on the scoreboard first with a power play marker. Two minutes later, a high snap shot to the blocker side of the net by Spitfire forward Tyler DeDecker equaled the score at one. Norwich replied with two more goals before the period was over to give them a 3-1 lead. Norwich doubled Aylmer in shots on goal in the frame 16-8. Aylmer native Curt Maracle scored the lone goal in the middle stanza. A defender knocked down a slap shot by defenseman Kyle Simpson and the puck fell at Curt’s feet. He quickly spun around and fired the puck low which surprised the goalie to make the score 3-2 Norwich after two.

Aylmer was able to tie the game at three after a power play goal by Cassidy North. Defense partner Sean Mullin rushed the puck into the Merchant end and maintained control. Some give-and-go passing between he and Maracle had spread the Norwich defense out leaving North open. Maracle was able to feed the puck through the Norwich defenders to Cassidy who stepped in from the blue line and rifled the puck over the glove hand of the Norwich goalie and tying the game at threes. However a minute later, Norwich got the game-winning goal on a dump in that Merchant forward Kris Krolouski out raced Aylmer’s defense and shot one by Brandon Rohrer in goal. Final shots on goal were 34-25 in favour of Norwich.

As disheartening the loss may have been against the Merchants the night before, Aylmer had another great opportunity to close the gap on second place Simcoe Sunday night. Aylmer’s last visit to Simcoe had the Spitfires trounce the Storm 9-6.

Travis Schruder got things rolling for the Spits scoring his fourteenth goal of the year with assists going to Mark Pfohl and Curt Maracle. Things stopped rolling for the Spitfires after that as Simcoe scored the next four goals of the game. Spitfire Assistant Captain Kyle Simpson cut into the Simcoe lead with a goal assisted by Rhys Thornton and Jayson Farquhar. Simcoe had added another goal late in the second period to complete the scoring as Simcoe won 5-2. The Spitfires had plenty of opportunity to get back into the game as they had eight power play chances but they failed to capitalize on any of them. Simcoe went 0-3 on their PP tries.

Aylmer will try to get back into the win column with a game against the Paris Mounties. The game will be on Friday night at 7:45 pm. The game had to be changed from the regular Saturday nighttime slot as the All Star game is being held in Glanbrook on Saturday night.

It looks like the Niagara Junior C West division standings will go down to the wire as the teams are still bunched up with ten games remaining. Aylmer resumes its schedule with a home game Saturday night against Norwich at 7:30 pm.

Dating back to November, it did not appear there would be any race for first place as Norwich was still undefeated after the first fourteen games. Since suffering the first defeat to Aylmer in regulation on November14th, Norwich has been playing at .500 with a record of 5-5-2.

The Aylmer Spitfires and the Simcoe Storm have been able to get back into the race for first as the Spits have gone 7-2 and the Storm 7-3 in the same stretch of games. The Merchants once big lead is now down to three points over Simcoe and four over the Spitfires.

With a record of 18-5-3, the Merchants are holding down first place with 39 points. Simcoe (17-7-2) are in second with 36 points and Aylmer (16-7-3) for 35 points are in third place. Woodstock is comfortably in fourth place with 30 points while the New Hamburg Firebirds and the Paris Mounties are battling it out for fifth place. The Firebirds hold fifth with 21 points, three points ahead of the Mounties.

The Spitfires have ten games remaining in their regular season. They will play five at home and five on the road. The Spits have to play Norwich twice at home and one game against Simcoe, New Hamburg, and Paris. They have one away game at each of their West division opponents in January.

Fans- attending a Spitfires game with the family is cheaper than a family night at the movies. It is entertainment right in your home town so come out and cheer your local team on this Saturday night at 7:30 pm.

The Aylmer Spitfires skated to a 5-0 win over the Paris Mounties on Saturday night at the East Elgin Community Complex. The game was the last game before the Christmas break as the Spitfires will next play on January 3rd.

Saturday night’s game was decided by the specialty teams. The Paris Mounties failed to score on any of their power play chances and they also gave up three short-handed goals to the Spitfires. Aylmer now has thirteen short-handed goals on the season with eight different players scoring with a teammate in the penalty box.

The Spitfires got off to a fast start as Captain Graham Spriel scored in the first minute of play. A few minutes later, Graham scored his second of the night and nineteenth goal of the year for a 2-0 Spitfire lead.

Travis Schruder scored his thirteenth goal of the year and third short-handed tally with a low wrist shot to the far corner. The score after the first period of play was 3-0 but easily could have been more as Spit forwards hit two cross bars and one goal post.

After a scoreless second period, Aylmer’s penalty killing teams took over again. Two goals by the Spitfires on the same penalty kill had the Paris coach thinking he should decline and further penalties assessed to Aylmer.

The Paris power play was so disorganized that it allowed a three on nothing breakaway for Aylmer. Adam Vandepoele, Graham Spriel, and Derek McTaggart had a clear cut breakaway from the centre line to the Paris net. Some nifty passing between Adam and Graham left Adam with easy tap in for his third short-handed goal.

Not to be outdone, Belmont native Joey Hunter got his chance to kill a penalty and he found himself on a breakaway also. A deke to his left and a backhand over the goalies pads gave Joey his first shortie of the season.

The Annual All Star game is set for January 10th in Glanbrook and three Spitfires will represent their team once again.

Adam Vandepoele will make a return visit to the All Star contest. Adam is second on the Spitfires in scoring with 14 goals, 17 assists for 31 points.

Travis Schruder will make his first appearance at the game. Travis has 13 goals and 11 assists for 23 points. He has 4 power play goals and three short-handed goals so far this season.

Assistant Captain Derek McTaggart will be on the blue line for the West Division team. Derek is a strong defenseman who uses his size to his advantage and is able to join the rush on any given play.

A reminder for the next home game is Saturday January 3rd at 7:30 pm against the Norwich Merchants. On behalf of the entire Spitfire organization, here is wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The mission, if they chose to accept it, for the Aylmer Spitfires this past weekend was two-fold. One, give them some breathing room ahead of fourth place Woodstock and secondly, cut down the space between them and second place Simcoe.

Heading into Saturday night’s game, Aylmer was in third place just one point ahead of Woodstock. A 5-2 win did give Aylmer’s (14-7-3) a bit of room ahead of Woodstock’s (14-11-0) and also inched them closer to Simcoe.

Spitfire winger Mark Pfohl took it upon himself to complete the teams’ first phase of the mission. Mark scored a hat trick and added two assists to lead the Spitfires to victory.

Pfohl likes to score in bunches. Of Mark’s twelve goals scored so far, six have come on two hat tricks and twice he has had two-goal games.

Rounding out the scoring against Woodstock was Travis Schruder and Curtis Maracle. Brandon Rohrer earned his tenth win in goal for the Spits, stopping 34 of 36 shots on goal.

The second phase of the Spitfires mission this past weekend was to cut into Simcoe’s lead over Aylmer for second place. Simcoe held a three-point lead over Aylmer prior to Aylmer’s win over Woodstock. The lead was now down to one for the Storm and with an Aylmer win; they would jump into second place.

The battle for second place was all about the offence. A total of eight goals were scored and there were 41 shots on goal in the first twenty minutes of play.

The Spitfires fell behind 2-0 in the first five minutes but a goal by Curtis Maracle at the 10:25 mark opened the floodgates for Aylmer. Four consecutive power play goals by four different players in a span of three minutes and three seconds gave Aylmer a lead it would not relinquish.

Adam Vandepoele, Curtis Maracle with his second of the night, Travis Schruder, and Graham Spriel all tallied with the extra man in the opening period. Simcoe did score one more to send the game into the first intermission with Aylmer leading 5-3.

The second frame was all Aylmer as well. Travis Schruder scored two more goals to complete his hat trick on the night. Newcomer Rhys Thorton scored his first as a Spitfire to push the lead to 8-3 after two. Rhys also had three helpers in the game giving him four points in his four games played as a Spitfire.

Simcoe tried to mount a comeback by scoring three goals in the third period but it was too little too late. Curtis Maracle capped off a great offensive night as he scored his third of the night to go along with three assists to make the final 9-6 Spitfires.

The win completed the Spitfires weekend mission. As focused as they were, the team knew it was not an impossible mission.

Now sitting alone in second place, they have their sights on first place Norwich who sit in first place with 39 points. The two teams still have to play three times in their remaining ten games of the regular season.

Next weekend the Spitfires will play in New Hamburg at 7:30 pm on Friday night. On Saturday, the Spits will host the Paris Mounties, also at 7:30 pm.

The defensive corps for the Aylmer Spitfires was pretty offensive in a lopsided win over the Dunnville Terriers last Friday night. But offensive in a good way! Three D-men scored five goals in a 9-2 drubbing over the last place Dunnville squad. The win improved the Spits road record to two games over .500 at 6-4-2. Leading the offensive outburst from the blue line was Port Stanley native Cassidy North. Cassidy notched two goals and added one assist in the game. He now sits tied for fifth with team mate Sean Mullin in scoring among defensemen with 14 points (4G, 10A).

Another defenseman having a break out night was Aylmer native Brandon Harbour. Brandon, in his first year patrolling the blue line for the Spits, has been a steady force all season for the team. Coaches Mike Shewan and Dave Kontzie have used Brandon in all situations from a regular shift to killing penalties and some power play time. The coaches were rewarded on Friday night as Brandon scored his first two goals in his Junior hockey career.

The third D-man to score on this night was another Aylmer native, Rob DeSutter. Rob’s first goal of the year came on the power play. Rounding out the scoring for the Spits was Adam Vandepoele with two and Tyler DeDecker and Elias Baribeau chipping in one goal.

Brad Booy earned the win in goal stopping 23 of 25 shots. He now sports a record of 4 wins, 1 loss, and one overtime loss.

Back on home ice Saturday night, the Spitfires hosted the New Hamburg Firebirds. A 5-4 loss by the Spits was their second consecutive home loss after going 7-1-1 in their first nine home games. The contest was a see-saw battle with neither team mounting a consistent attack.

Aylmer found the score sheet first with Graham Spriel banging home a loose puck at the edge of the crease. A minute and a half later, the Firebirds tied it up and then scored on a late power play to end the first period up 2-1.

Travis Schruder tied the game for the Spits just 38 seconds into the second period. Travis pounced on a Firebird turnover and rifled a slap shot for a short handed goal. It was Travis’ second short-handed goal and the teams’ tenth, which leads the league. The teams continued to exchange goals as New Hamburg went ahead 3-2 only to have Sean Mullin knot it up at three just a few minutes later. The visitors regained the lead midway through the second period and held the lead into the third. The Firebirds scoring leader Bill Walkey scored his second goal of the night for the games’ first two goal lead. It turned out to be the eventual winning goal as Graham Spriel scored his second of the night for the Spits to make the final score 5-4.

The next stretch of games for the Spitfires this weekend is against teams they are fighting with for positioning in the standings. The Spits will host the Woodstock Renegades on Saturday December 13 at 7:30. The ‘Gades sit just one point behind the Spitfires for third place. They have one more win than the Spits with 14 but trail the season series so far having won once in four games against the Spitfires.

The Spitfires will get on the bus and travel down Highway 3 to meet the Simcoe Storm on Sunday night for a 7:00 start time. Simcoe currently hold a slim three point lead over the Spitfires for second place. The Storm have won twice and lost once against the Spits so far this year.

The Aylmer Spitfires have made several roster moves recently with new players joining the team, other players parting ways, and a new coach has been added to the rank and file.

New to the team this year but not new to the Spitfire organization is Aylmer native Jeff Gillies. Jeff rejoins the Spitfires along the blue line after playing three years with the St. Thomas Junior B Stars. Jeff first played with the Spits as a sixteen year old. In his second year with the team, he earned the role as Assistant Captain during the season and will look to bring that strong leadership to the Spitfires again.

Another player from the St. Thomas Stars has been added to the Spitfires. Rhys Thornton scored two goals and added three assists in 25 games for the Stars this season. As a seventeen year old and getting limited ice time, Thornton was sent to the Spitfires to strengthen his game and add some speed to the team. Rhys played some minor hockey in London and then with the Elgin Middlesex AAA Chiefs.

The Spitfires have also signed on Joe Facca as an Assistant Coach. Facca is no stranger to Aylmer as he got some playing time with the Aylmer Blues in 2003-04. Facca is also an alumnus of the St. Thomas Stars who will look to help out the Spitfire goalies.

Several players who were on the Spitfire roster as additional players have been released so that they may keep their eligibility for high school hockey. Returning to the defending OMHA Champions Aylmer Midget team are Brandon Aspden, Jason Gregory, and Brett Haines.

Two more players from the Championship Midget team, Tim Thiessen and Josh Honsinger, will go back and play minor hockey but have moved up a division in Juvenile.

The Spitfire organization would like to thank all the players for their contribution and wish them the best of luck with their new teams.

The old motto of the “Mounties always get their man” did not transpire last Wednesday as the Paris Mounties failed to get the Spitfires in any shape or form.

A 7-3 stomping by the Aylmer Spitfires over the Mounties solidified the Spitfires hold onto second place and kept the Mounties in sixth place in the West Division. Aylmer’s record improves to 12-6-3 where Paris fell to 5-12-3.

The previous two contests between the teams were close as the games were decided by just one goal with each team winning once. Aylmer made certain that would not be the case on this night as they came out firing on all cylinders.

A four goal outburst in the first period followed by three more goals in the second gave the Spitfires their biggest lead of the season. Paris made the game somewhat respectable by scoring the only three goals of the last period for the final score of 7-3.

The offensive explosion was welcomed by the Spitfires as they have had their share of nail-biting games this year. Of their 21 games played, nine have been decided by one goal. In comparison, last season the Spitfires had a total of 13 one-goal games in the 36 regular season games.

The four goal margin was the fourth game the Spitfires have had decided by that many goals. And when the Spits fire up the offense, they have won three times and lost one.

In the victory over the Mounties, four players had a three point night. Leading the attack was Joey Hunter with two goals and an assist. The line of Graham Spriel, Adam Vandepoele, and Tyler DeDecker stayed hot as all three scored once and assisted on two other goals. Rounding out the scoring was defenseman Sean Mullin. Newly added Spitfire Elias Baribeau, from Dorchester, chipped in with two assists.

The Spitfires got a break from action after Paris’ game as they do not play again until Friday December 5th. The Spits travel to Dunnville to face-off against the Terriers. Dunnville has not been tearing up the opposition this year as they hold the distinction of having the worst record in the Niagara Junior C loop at 1-16-1.

Aylmer will return to home ice the following night as they host the New Hamburg Firebirds at 7:30 pm.

The Aylmer Spitfires had a modest three game win streak snapped at three games with a 3-1 loss to the Glanbrook Rangers. It is only Aylmer’s second regulation loss this season on home ice as their home record is now 7-2-1 and have an overall record of 11-6-3. After a scoreless first period where Aylmer out shot the Rangers 19-9, the visiting squad came out strong in the second as Glanbrook struck twice in the second period before the period was three minutes old. The Rangers took fourteen shots at the Aylmer net compared to the six shots fired upon the Ranger net. Travis Schruder scored Aylmer’s lone goal of the game late in the second period. It was Travis’ seventh goal of the year and fifteenth point in his twenty games played. Glanbrook scored once in the final frame to make the final 3-1. It appeared both teams’ power plays took the night off as they both went 0 for 8. Brandon Rohrer got the start and goal and his record fell to 8-5-2.

The Spitfires traveled to New Hamburg on Friday night and skated away with a 4-3 victory.

Aylmer native Brad Booy got the start between the pipes and improved his record to 3-1-1. Brad stopped 34 of the 37 shots he faced, including stopping a penalty shot in the third period. The line of Graham Spriel at centre, Adam Vandepoele at right wing, and Tyler DeDecker along the left side gave fits to the hometown Firebirds. The line combined for seven points in the game and scored all four of Aylmer’s goals. Spriel and DeDecker each scored twice with both scoring once on the power play. The two goals for Spriel give him 14 on the year and DeDecker has a team leading 15 goals. Adam Vandepoele had two assists and Brandon Harbour and Spriel had one helper apiece.

Next up for the Spitfires will be an away game on Wednesday November 26 against the Paris Mounties. The two teams have faced off against each other twice this year with both teams winning one game by the identical score of 5-4.

Aylmer’s next home game will not be until Saturday December 6th where the Spitfire organization will host “Sponsor Night”. The Spits take this night as an opportunity to give recognition and thanks to all the sponsors who help out throughout the year. The Spits will meet the New Hamburg Firebirds at 7:30 pm.

Also fans be sure not to miss out on the Spitfires fundraising efforts currently on the go. Tickets are still available for the Hockey Heaven Draw and fans can order their Poinsettia Plants at the next home game just in time for the holiday season.

The Aylmer Spitfires has accomplished something that no other team has done this season. A 4-3 road victory over the first place Norwich Merchants has given Norwich their first regulation loss in their sixteen games played.

The Spitfires completed their weekend with a convincing 6-3 home ice win over the Chippawa Riverhawks. Chippawa are currently in second place in the East Division. Aylmer improved their home record to 7-1-1 at home and has an overall record of 3-1 versus the East division.

On Friday night in Norwich, Aylmer’s power play scored twice and goalie Brandon Rohrer showed All Star form in facing 33 shots on goal. Curt Maracle, his fifth, opened the scoring for the Spits on the power play. A Merchant power play goal four minutes later tied the game at one heading into the second period. Spitfire forward Tim Donovan scored his first goal of the season to give Aylmer a short-lived lead. Norwich tied the game 59 seconds later only to have Spitfire Travis Schruder regain Aylmer’s one goal lead before the end of the second period. Aylmer’s second power play goal gave them a two-goal cushion early in the last period. Adam Vandepoele notched his ninth of the year and it turned out to be the game-winning goal as Norwich scored late to make the final 4-3 Aylmer.

Back on home ice on Minor Hockey Night, first year Spitfire Mark Pfohl had himself a night by firing in three goals. Pfohl came to the Spitfires after playing last season with the New Hamburg Firebirds. The three goals gives Mark nine on the season. Defenseman Derek McTaggart, who recently returned from an injury, scored his first goal of the year. Chippawa replied with two power play goals later in the first period. Aylmer took the lead in the second with Pfohl scoring his first on the night with the man advantage. Aylmer was then awarded a penalty taken by Captain Graham Spriel. Graham made no mistake and gave the Spitfire a 3-2 lead after two periods of play. Mark Pfohl stretched the lead to two goals early in the third. A power play goal made it close again for Chippawa but Tyler DeDecker with his team leading 13th goal of the year and then Pfohl’s hat trick goal into an empty net sealed the win for the Spitfires.

The Spitfires have now completed half of their regular season. In their eighteen games played, they boast a record of 10 wins, 5 losses, and three overtime losses for 23 points. They are in a tie with the Simcoe Storm for second place. The Spits have three players in the top ten in league scoring. Graham Spriel is in third place with 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points. Forward Tyler DeDecker is seventh in scoring with 13 goals, 7 helpers for 20 points and Adam Vandepoele is tied for eighth with 9 goals and 10 assists for nineteen points.

In goal, Brandon Rohrer has a very impressive 2.99 goals against average. His 91.7% save percentage is third best in the league and Brandon has faced the second most shots in 466 in his fourteen games played. Aylmer’s power play units are number one in the West Division having scored twenty times for 17% efficiency. The penalty killing teams are third in the division with 87.9% effectiveness. They also lead the entire league in short-handed goals with eight.

Coming up for the Spitfires will be an away game Friday November 21st in New Hamburg. Game time will be at 7:30 pm against the Firebirds. Aylmer will return to the comfort of home ice on Saturday night as they host the Glanbrook Rangers. Again, game time will be at 7:30 pm. C ya there.

Nearing the halfway mark of the regular season, the Aylmer Spitfires have yet to find their true identity as a team. Are they a contending team? Are they a middle-of-the-pack just going through the motions kind of team?

At times, they look like contenders when they dominate a team like first place Grimsby and win easily. On occasion, they have looked like a team that just play to the caliber of their opponents and find them struggling against the lower teams in the division.

A reason for this identity crisis is consistency, or lack thereof. And the lack of consistency does not go from game-to-game but from period-to-period.

It has been documented already how the Spitfires have had slow first periods, being out shot several times and then finding themselves having to play catch-up. In some games, after a so-so first period, the Spits played better and were able to steal a victory. The two games played last week are prime examples of similar inconsistent play.

On Thursday, the Spits traveled to Dundas and after a long bus ride, they still managed to come out of the gates quickly. Spit forward Tyler DeDecker scored 1:28 into the game and then again at the thirteen minute mark. Aylmer out shot Dundas 12-8 in that period.

In the second frame, the Spits may have thought they were in for an easy game with their dominant first period and 2-0 lead. The Spits were wrong. They were badly outplayed, out shot, and outscored 4-1 in the second frame.

Two goals within six seconds of each before the period was a minute old tied the game for Dundas. Joey Hunter gave Aylmer a short-lived lead again as he notched his third goal of the year. The hometown Blues gave Aylmer the blues as they scored twice more for a 4-3 Dundas lead after two. Dundas out shot Aylmer 19-6 in that period.

The third period fared no better for the Spitfires as they allowed three more goals while scoring once to make the final 7-4 Dundas. Curtis Maracle scored his fourth of the year in the third. The seven goals by Dundas were the most given up by the Spitfires this season.

In Saturday’s game versus Simcoe, another slow start by the Spitfires dug them a big hole as they gave up four goals in just over twelve minutes. Spitfire Joey Hunter did score late in the period to make the score 4-1 after one.

A more inspired Spitfire team showed up for the second period as Mark Pfohl scored twice, giving him six on the year. Aylmer out shot the Storm 22-7 in the period.

Tyler DeDecker continued his hot scoring hand as he tied the game at four five minutes into the third period. Tyler has scored five times in the last three games and now sits tenth in league scoring and has the second most goals with twelve.

For the second straight home game, the Spits needed overtime and a shoot out to find a winner. The Storms’ first shooter scored on goalie Brandon Rohrer and that was all Simcoe needed to secure the 5-4 win. Spitfire shooters Curtis Maracle, Graham Spriel, and Sean Mullin were all turned aside by Simcoe goalie Chris Wills.

The two losses drop Aylmer into third place with a record of 8-5-3 for 19 points. The Spits will have a couple of tough games this weekend as they face off against the 13-0-1 Norwich Merchants Friday in Norwich.

On Saturday night, the Spits will host Minor Hockey Night as they welcome all players from minor hockey to the game for games and prizes. The Spits will play against the Chippawa Riverhawks who sit in second place in the East division. Game time as always is 7:30 pm.

The Aylmer Spitfires and Paris Mounties played extra time on Saturday night in Niagara Junior C action and still couldn’t decide a winner. With the new shootout rule coming into play, Aylmer scored twice to lead to a 5-4 win and complete a two-win weekend.

Aylmer came into the game with a 7-4-2 record and sitting all alone in second place. Paris was in sixth place with a record of 3-8-1, but one of those wins was a 5-4 win against Aylmer. Two power play goals by Spitfire forward Tyler DeDecker paced the Spits to a first period 2-1 lead. Adam Vandepoele sniped a goal early in the second period with a blistering wrist shot from just inside the blue line to stretch the lead to 3-1.

Paris scored nineteen seconds later to make the score 3-2 heading into the third period. Duncan Long was kept extremely busy in the Paris goal as he had already faced 38 shots on goal in the first two periods. Aylmer goalie Brad Booy had faced 20 in the opening two frames as he looked for his second win of the season.

A minute into the third period, Spitfire defenseman Cassidy North showed great anticipation as he intercepted a pass attempt at mid-ice. Cassidy then broke out wide to his right and rifled a slap shot through Long, giving Aylmer another two goal lead.

The pesky Mounties would not give up and scored twice more to tie the game and send the game into overtime. With no goals scored in the OT, Aylmer went into its’ second shootout of the season and Paris would enter their first.

Paris’ Scot Graf shot first and was thwarted by Booy with a pad save. Aylmer’s Curt Maracle went in on Long and fired a wrist shot off of the right post and into the net for a 1-0 lead.

Paris leading scorer Adam Manning made a nice move to his right before dragging the puck back to the left and scoring to tie the shootout at one. Spitfire Adam Vandepoele was next and a low wrist shot that found the five-hole on Long gave Aylmer the edge once again.

A stop by Booy on Paris’ third shot would seal the victory for the Spits. Josh Mitton also tried a deke move but Booy was equal to the task and Aylmer won the shoot out 2-1 and earned the win with a 5-4 final.

The win capped an exciting night for the Spitfires as they hosted over 160 kids in the annual kids night. A Junior Tyke shootout in the first intermission followed by trike races in the second period break and a season high ‘Chuck-A-Puck’ contest completed a fun night at the complex.

On Friday night, the Spitfires traveled to Caledonia and skated away with a 5-2 road win. Scoring for the Spits were Travis Schruder, Kyle Simpson, Joey Hunter, Graham Spriel, and Adam Vandepoele.

Brandon Rohrer earned his sixth victory between the pipes and increased his save percentage to a league best 93%.

Aylmer will head into the East division again on Thursday night as they will play the Dundas Blues who are in fourth in the East with a 4-4-3 record. Aylmer will host Emergency Services Night as they invite all police, fire, and paramedic personnel to the game versus the Simcoe Storm on Saturday night at 7:30 pm.