Jeff Morrison, Niagara West District Jr. C Convenor, presents the League’s Coach of the Year award to Aylmer Spitfire Head Coach Brian Abbey

Jeff Morrison, Niagara West District Jr. C Convenor, presents the League’s Best Defenceman award for the 2005-06 season to Aylmer Spitfire Vance Stark.



The Spitfires celebrate their 4-2 victory over Norwich Saturday night with goalie Brandon Rohrer.  The win evens the best of seven Niagara West Jr C Semi Final series at a game apiece.
December, 2005
Spitfires Beat Norwich

The Aylmer Spitfires hosted the Norwich Merchants Wednesday night and redeemed themselves against their divisional foes with a 6-4 win. The Spits lost to the same Merchant club 7-0 last week in Norwich.
The Spitfires evened their record at 10-10-1 for 21 points. They remain in third place trailing Norwich by 13. The victory stretched the lead on fourth place Paris to three points with Aylmer having played three less games in the schedule.
This was the third meeting between the two teams with Aylmer holding a 2 game to one advantage. They will play three more times before the season is over.
And if the play offs did start today, the Spits would face the Merchants in the first round for the third consecutive year.
In Wednesday’s game, Aylmer took the lead at the 3:26 minute mark and never looked back. Belmont native Brendan O’Brien got the Spitfires rolling on a goal that was assisted by fellow Belmontonian Ian McCullough.
Just over a minute later D-man Ryan Fletcher scored to give Aylmer a 2-0 lead. Jeff Gardner picked up his first of four points on the night with an assist.
After Norwich fought back to tie the game at two in the first period, Aylmer regained the lead in the second on a pair of goals by Jeff Gardner. Jeff’s second goal came on the power play with assists going to Adam Scott and Ryan Fletcher.
The Spitfires continued to take it to the Merchants in the last frame with Nathan Gavey and Jeff Gardner scoring to push the lead to three. Jeff completed his hat trick and vaulted his way up to eighth place in the division-scoring race.
The lead proved to be insurmountable by the Merchants. Norwich got within one with under a minute to go but could not get the equalizer and suffered only their fifth loss of the year.
Deren Lyle had a strong game in net for the Spitfires making 32 saves for the win. Aylmer peppered 37 shots on the Norwich netminders.


The two teams face off again on Boxing Day in Norwich. Aylmer returns to home ice on Friday December 30th at 7:00 pm against the Paris Mounties.
The entire Aylmer Spitfire organization would like to extend the warmest of greetings of the Season to their loyal sponsors and hockey fans and wish them the very best for the New Year.

December, 2005

Spitfires Back on Winning Track
The Aylmer Junior C Spitfires have found their stride again with a very convincing win on Saturday night against the Dunnville Terriers. The Spitfires won the game 6 –1, pushing the win total to nine against ten losses and one tie, returning them to third place in the West Division.
It was a much-needed victory for the home team after a tough 9-2 defeat last weekend to the Caledonia Corvairs. The Spitfires next game was on Friday night in Norwich where the red-hot Merchants continued their fine play and humbled the Spits 7-0.
In the win on Saturday night, specialty teams were the story as Aylmer’s power play scored four times on seven chances. The penalty killing squad also had a great night as they defended all seven short-handed opportunities.
Aylmer’s own Adam Vandepoele (pictured above) led the team with two power play goals. Adam now has three goals to go with his ten assists for thirteen points.
Also scoring on the power play were Kyle Morrison, with his third of the season, and Brendan O’ Brien who notched his first marker of the campaign.
Rounding out the scoring was goal-scoring leader Rob Vanwynsberghe with his fifteenth and Scott Borrows netting his fifth goal of the year.
Deren Lyle faced 24 shots in the game and improved his record to four wins and four losses with one tie.
Aylmer will get a chance to redeem themselves against the Norwich Merchants on a rare Wednesday night contest on December 21 at 7:00 pm.
ALL STAR GAME
On Saturday January 7th, the Aylmer Spitfires will host the Annual Niagara Junior C All Star game at the East Elgin Community Complex. Game time will be at 7:00 pm.
The game will have representatives from the six Western Division teams face off against the six Eastern Division teams. Each team will send a minimum three players to represent their teams in the game. Rosters have not yet been finalized.

Looking at the Aylmer Spitfires roster, forwards Rob Vanwynsberghe and Jeff Gardner should likely set this date aside. Jeff is currently tenth in league scoring with 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points and has been a reliable force all season for the Spits.
Rob is just one point behind his teammate with 26 points on the strength of 15 goals and 11 helpers. Both Rob and Jeff lead the team with seven power play goals each.
Other possible candidates for the game are perennial All Star forward Adam Scott and Rob DeSutter.
Adam has been to the showcase twice in the past two years and is a strong leader on and off the ice.
Rob DeSutter has had a strong year on defense for the Spitfires. He is currently second in points among defenseman with 19 points. Rob has six goals and thirteen assists so far this year.
Fans – be sure to mark January 7th down on your calendar as a reminder to come watch the Junior C All Star game.

December, 2005
Spitfires Trounced on Home Ice
Many have tried but few have been able to explain how a team can look so good one day and then look like they are just going through the motions the next day.
The Spitfires, in possibly their best performance of the season last weekend, won 4-3 over the West division leaders Simcoe Storm. This past Friday the Spits had another good showing against the Grimsby Peach Kings, the East division leaders, but came up short in a 4-2 loss.
The Spitfires then hosted the fifth place Caledonia Corvairs and took it on the chin as they lost 9 - 2 on Saturday night. The Spitfires seemed to lack any intensity or desire to earn the two points that they had against the Storm and Grimsby therefore could not garner a victory that would have given them some breathing room in the standings.
The loss dropped the Spitfires record on home ice to five wins and six losses. The record away from home is three wins and three losses with the one tie game. The team is narrowly hanging onto third place with seventeen points, just one point ahead of Woodstock and Paris.
On Saturday December 10, the Corvairs (6-11-1) started early with two goals in the opening period, five in the second frame, and then two more to round out the scoring. The Corvairs had two players score hat tricks against the Spitfires.
Aylmer did get on the scoreboard on a power play goal in the second on a goal by Jeff Gardner. It was Jeff’s 14th goal of the year, eight of which have come on the power play. Rob Vanwynsberghe and Vance Stark were credited with the assists.
Aylmer’s second goal came early in the third period on a booming slap shot from just inside the blue line off of the stick of Vanwynsberghe. It was Rob’s team leading fifteenth goal on the campaign. Nathan Gavey picked on the lone assist.
AYLMER 2 GRIMSBY 4
On Friday December 9, Aylmer traveled to Grimsby to face off against the defending league Champions. The Peach Kings had a record of 18 wins and only one loss heading into the contest and sit in first place in the East division.
The Spits were not awed by the Peach Kings and were able to take a 2-0 lead in the game. Jeff Gardner and Ian McCullough each scored for the Spits. Grimsby showed their championship colours by fighting back to tie the game heading into the last period.
The game remained tied with under four minutes to go when Aylmer netminder Deren Lyle received a delay of game penalty. The net appeared to have been dislodged from the moorings but went unnoticed by the officials. The play continued until Lyle bumped into the net to definitely show the referee that the net was not on its’ pegs.
The referee assumed Lyle deliberately knocked the net off its’ pegs to stop the play and assessed Lyle a minor penalty. On the subsequent power play, Grimsby scored to take a 3-2 lead.
An unhappy Aylmer bench disputed the call after the power play goal and found them with a bench minor penalty. The power play kicked in again for the Peach Kings as they went on to win for the 19th time in 20 games.
Aylmer next travels to Norwich on Friday December 16 at 8:00 pm. The always-tough Norwich Merchants sit alone in second place with a record of 13-4-1.
The next home game will be the following night against Dunnville. The Terriers of Dunnville have been playing well of late and should prove to be a tough game for the Spitfires.
They defeated Caledonia 3-2 on December 9 and then handed Grimsby their second loss of the season the next evening 2-1. Game time will be at 7:00pm.
"three point night'

December, 2005
Spitfires Beat Storm
The Aylmer Jr C Spitfires faced two different storms this past weekend. On Friday December 2nd the winter storm won out as the game to be played in Woodstock was cancelled due to the poor road conditions.
On Saturday night, the Spitfires entertained the first place Simcoe Storm and handed Simcoe only their fourth defeat in eighteen games played. Aylmer won the hard fought contest 4-3.
The win improved the Spits record to 8 wins and 7 losses with one tie for 17 points, good enough for third place. Woodstock and Paris kept pace with victories on the weekend, as they both remain one point behind Aylmer.
Once again, the match up between Simcoe and Aylmer pitted the number one offence in the division against the stingiest defense in the division. Simcoe had scored 97 goals in their seventeen games, which are 40 more than Aylmer has scored. The Spitfires on the other hand has allowed only 52 goals against in their fifteen games played.
In the first period, Aylmer played a sound defensive game allowing only five shots on goal. One of those shots did find the back of the net as Simcoe scored a power play goal on a deflected shot from the blue line. Aylmer had several good opportunities to tie the game with Adam Scott and Rob DeSutter each missing from close range.
Simcoe began the second period shorthanded and Aylmer quickly capitalized. Adam Scott took a low shot from the face-off circle that Simcoe goalie Jeff Bassindale stopped easily. He couldn’t control the rebound and winger Rob Vanwynsberghe was there to slide in his 13th goal of the year.
Defenseman Ryan Fletcher then scored late in the period to give the Spits a 2-1 lead. Ryan’s first goal of the year was a low slap shot from the point that got by the screened Bassindale.
Aylmer was on the power play to start the third period. Rob Vanwynsberge scored his team leading 14th goal on a scramble in front of the net. Rob DeSutter was able to slide the puck to the front where Jeff Gardner took a swipe at it but couldn’t get it by the goalie. Vanwynsberghe was all tied up by the Simcoe ‘D’ with his back to the net, but still managed to slide a backhand shot by a surprised Bassindale to give Aylmer a 3-1 lead.
The two-goal lead was short-lived as Simcoe scored their second goal by Spitfire goalie Deren Lyle. Aylmer native Adam Vandepoele restored the two-goal advantage on a breakaway goal. Adam, while being hooked and slashed, was able to squeeze the puck over the red line. It was Adam’s first goal of the season to go with his nine assists.
Simcoe appeared to lose their composure after Aylmer’s fourth goal. Two unprovoked attacks on Aylmer’s forwards had two Storm players ejected from the game. Simcoe’s Jason Oreskovic took a wild swing at Adam Scott when Adam was completely away from the play. Adam decided to accept his challenge as the two squared off and fought at centre ice. Both received fighting majors and game misconducts.
Shortly thereafter Simcoe’s resident tough guy Greg Duesling pulled down Rob Vanwynsberghe when Rob was out of the play. Duesling leads the Storm in penalty minutes amassing 155 minutes in the seventeen games played. Duesling received a double minor for roughing and a game misconduct and Vanwynsberghe did not receive any penalties on the play.
Simcoe finished the period with just five extra players on the bench due to all the misconduct penalties. They did make it exciting by scoring their third goal to get within one but Lyle would allow no more and win his third game of the season.
Aylmer will now travel to Grimsby to face the three time defending Niagara Jr C Champions. Grimsby were a perfect 17 – 0 until beaten by the Norwich Merchants on December 3rd. Aylmer’s next home game will be Saturday night at 7pm as they host the Caledonia Corvairs.


November, 2005
Spitfire Win Streak Snapped at Four
Two streaks were broken on Sunday night in the Niagara Junior C game between the Aylmer Spitfires and the visiting Paris Mounties.
The Spitfires were on a roll coming into the contest having won their last four games. The streak catapulted the team into third place after sinking to fifth place.
The Mounties came into Aylmer in turmoil. The team had not won since October 23rd, a stretch of seven games that saw the head coach of the team be dismissed of his duties.
Paris however can look back on their last visit to Aylmer on October 22nd when they skated to a 2-1 victory at the EECC. Paris fed off of the memory and took away another victory 3-2.
After a scoreless first period, Aylmer found themselves making several trips to the penalty box. With two men off for minor penalties, Paris scored on a nice passing play across the front of the net to go ahead 1-0.
Paris then capitalized on an Aylmer defensive turnover at their blue line. The play turned quickly into Aylmer’s end zone and Aylmer’s defense could not recover in time. Paris scored on a partially screened shot that got by netminder Brandon Rohrer.
Scott Borrows scored his fourth goal of the season for the Spitfires after finding himself alone to the side of the net. A high wrist shot found the back of the net to make the score 2-1 after two periods.
Aylmer tied the game on a power play goal by Rob DeSutter in the third period. Captain Eric Hamilton fed a nice pass to DeSutter who was to the right of the Paris net. DeSutter also wrested a high shot over the Paris goalie to tie the game at two.
More penalty trouble for Aylmer followed the tying goal as Adam Vandepoele and Rob DeSutter both picked up ten-minute misconducts. Although these penalties did not make their team shorthanded, it did prevent them from contributing and left their teammates to cover the extra shifts the two would normally receive.
Paris was able to score the winning goal with just over five minutes to play. Aylmer failed to get the puck deep into Paris’ zone from centre ice. The play quickly developed into a two on one break towards Aylmer’s goal and Paris’ Mike Young took a shot that beat Rohrer through the five hole for the victory.
The loss evens the Spitfire record at seven wins and seven losses with one tie for fifteen points.
The Spits travel to Woodstock on Friday December 2 for a 7:45 pm start and then play the first place Simcoe Storm the following evening in Aylmer at 7 pm.
Fans be sure to pick up a ticket when at the game for the Spitfires “Hockey Heaven Draw”. A five-dollar ticket gives you a chance to win 10 tickets to a private suite at a London Knights game on January 20th. The winning ticket will also receive a free limousine ride to the game and $500 for food and refreshments at the game.
The second place winner wins 2 tickets to a Toronto Maple Leafs game. The draw will take place at the December 10th home game versus Caledonia. ‘C’ you there!


Spitfires Report - Week of November 8, 2005

The Aylmer Spitfires are currently on a downward spiral as they find themselves on a six-game winless streak.
An 8 – 5 loss to the Dundas Blues marks their fourth loss in a row and their fifth loss in their last six games. The only point the Spitfires have tallied in the last six games was a 3-3 tie to New Hamburg.
The Dundas Blues sit in second place in the East division with an eight win and three-loss record. They are tied in their division for most goals for and that offence showed up Saturday night in full force as they fired eight goals against the Spitfires.
The Spits had the best team defense after seven games of the season allowing only eighteen goals in those seven games. The Spits have allowed 22 goals in their last three games alone.
Scoring for the Spitfires versus the Blues was Adam Scott with two, John Ralf, Jeff Gardner, and Rob VanWynsberghe all adding one goal each.
The schedule has given the Spitfires little chance to get on a roll or clique together as a unit. Including the upcoming game this Saturday night in Aylmer, the Spitfires will only have played five games since October 22nd. The players need to get out there in game situations more often to build some confidence and some positive momentum.
The team will get busy next week and will look to start a new streak when they host Woodstock Saturday night at 7:00 pm. The Spits only trail Woodstock by two points for fourth place. A win on home ice will get the Spits ready to travel to Chippawa on Sunday and then to Glanbrook next Wednesday. Come support your Junior C Spitfires!

The Aylmer Minor Hockey Initiation Program Timbits played a game during the first intermission of the Spitfires game Saturday night. Pictured above is the Spits along with the group of Timbits that took part.  Unfortunately the Spitfires fell short on the scoreboard, but were able to create some unforgettable memories for these up and coming hockey stars.

Spitfires Lose Twice to Storm

The Aylmer Junior C Spitfires played two games this past weekend against the first place Simcoe Storm and were defeated in both contests. The lost 8-4 on home ice Saturday night and then 6-4 in Simcoe the following evening.
Going into the weekend series, Aylmer had the number one defensive team allowing only twenty goals in their seven games. Simcoe however had the number one offence scoring thirty-five times in their eight games.
The offence came fast and furious for the Simcoe Storm as they bolted to a 3 – 0 lead midway through the first period. Aylmer forward Scott Borrows cut the lead to two with a power play goal late in the frame.
Both teams were able to score twice more in the second period with Matt Hughson scoring his first of the season for the Spits and Jeff Gardner notching his fourth of the campaign.
A two-man disadvantage in the third period proved costly for the Spitfires. After a Simcoe time out, the Storm quickly capitalized on the power play to regain the three-goal lead. Jeff Gardner scored his second of the game to bring the Spits a little closer but it was not enough as Simcoe skated away with the 8 – 4 win.
On Sunday it was much the same as Simcoe came out flying taking a 4-0 lead before Aylmer’s John Ralf scored to make the score 4-1 after the first period. It was John’s second goal of the year.
Two more goals in the second had Aylmer trail the Storm 4-3. Nathan Gavey, with his first and Adam Scott’s second goal of the season gave Aylmer some confidence heading into the last period.
The game remained close until Simcoe scored with just under four minutes to play in the third period. A late power play goal by Rob DeSutter again cut the lead to one but with the goalie out for the extra attacker, Simcoe sealed the win with an empty net to make the final 6-4.
The two losses for the Spitfires pushes their record to three wins, five losses, and one tie for seven points and sit in fifth place. The Spitfires will host the Dundas Blues on Saturday November 5 at 7:00 pm at the East Elgin Community Complex.


Spitfires Fall to .500

The Aylmer Spitfires earned one point over the weekend in Niagara Junior C West division action over the weekend. The Spits played to a 3-3 tie in New Hamburg Friday night and skated to a 2-1 loss on home ice Saturday night to Paris.
The Spitfires currently sit in third place with seven points with three wins three, three losses and the one tie. They trail first place Simcoe by five points and Paris by four.
In Fridays action in New Hamburg, goaltender Deron Lyle was looking for his third straight shutout victory over the Firebirds. Lyle had 1-0 and 3-0 victories in his first two meetings with New Hamburg.
There would be no shutout this time around as New Hamburg were able to score three times. The Spitfire offence also scored three with goals as Eric Hamilton scored his second goal of the year, Rob DeSutter’s notched his third goal of the season, and forward Jeff Gardner’s tallied his first marker of the young season.
On Saturday night, the Spitfires looked to avenge last weekends home ice loss to the Woodstock Navy Jets with a strong effort against the much-improved Paris Mounties.
Paris played a style of game that would have the NHL league officials cringe. They readily slowed down the Spitfires with the clutching and grabbing of Spitfire forwards that has been outlawed this year in the new NHL.
Aylmer forward Jeff Gardner broke free in the first period and took a shot from the face-off circle. He out-hustled the Paris defender and got to the rebound first. He shot the puck high over the shoulder of the Paris goalie and into the net. Gardner’s second goal of the year was all the offence the Spits could muster this night as they fell 2-1.
Brandon Rohrer played net for the Spitfires stopping 21 of 23 shots.
The Spitfires will now play a home and home series with the first place Simcoe Storm Game one is this Saturday night at 7:00 pm at the East Elgin Community Complex and then the Spits travel to Simcoe Sunday night for the second game.

Goalie Earns Second Shut Out

Daren Lyle has earned his second shut out in as many games for the Aylmer Jr. C Spitfires helping boost the teams1 record to three wins and one loss.
In his first game as a Spitfire, Lyle opened the season with a 1-0 victory over the New Hamburg Firebirds. His second game action was played on home ice on Saturday October 8th against the very same Firebirds. Lyle faced nineteen shots and turned them all aside in the 3-0 win. He therefore has a very impressive zero goals against average and a save percentage of 1.000.
Lyle had limited action the first two periods only facing nine shots through the end of the second period. In the third period, New Hamburg fired ten shots including some from close range. Lyle was always in the proper position, enabling him to make the save and control the rebounds.
The defensive core of Eric Hamilton, Ryan Fletcher, Luke Murray, Vance Stark, Kyle Simpson, and Caleb Bosma did an excellent job clearing the front of the net allowing Lyle to see the shots and clear any rebounds that Lyle couldn1t smother himself.
Offensively, Rob VanWynsberghe scored the first Spitfire goal in the first period. The goal was Rob1s fourth in four games and all four of his goals have been the first goal of the game for the Spits.
Vance Stark scored his first of the season on a strange play. He took a high shot from the blue line that the New Hamburg goalie attempted to catch. The puck fell out of his glove and landed in front of his defenseman. The defenseman, in his attempt to clear the puck to the corner, banked the puck off of his defence partner and into the net.
Aylmer native John Ralf also scored his first goal of the year to complete the scoring. A nice three-way passing play got the puck to Ralf who went wide around the defender and took a slap shot that found the far corner of the net.
On Friday, October 7th, the Spitfires traveled to Woodstock to face off against the Navy Vets. The Spits fell for the first time this season, losing 5-4.
Adam Scott led the way with a power play goal and two assists. Rob VanWynsberghe, Scott Borrows, and Eric Hamilton each scored once. Jeff Gardner helped by chipping in with two assists. Brandon Rohrer played goal for the Spitfires facing a total of 18 shots on net.
Aylmer's next home game will be Saturday October 15 at 7:00 pm against Woodstock Navy Vets.



Congratulations to the winner of our 2nd Annual Hockey Heaven Draw, Lucy Robinson

Lucy and 9 of her friends will be taking a Limo to and from the John Labatt Center in London. Where they will see the London Knight1s vs Guelph Storm from the De Dell Seeds Private Suite. They will also receive $500 towards food and refreshments at the game.

Congratulations Lucy and have fun at the game!




The Aylmer Spitfires are pictured with some of the members of Aylmer Minor Hockey1s Initiation Program during the 1st intermission of their game on January 29th 2005. The I.P. players had a short game during the intermission and then received autographed pucks from the Spitfires.

Spitfire goalie Matt Driver presents Timbit Josh with his autographed puck.


The Huron Tractor--Trike race winner was Luke Regier.


The Huron Tractor Trike race during the 2nd intermission
of the Spitfires game on Kids night.


The Spitfires gave a Chopper bike as a Grand Prize for their kids night raffle.  The Chopper Bike winners are Colten and Brody(on bike) Slaght, they are pictured with Spitfires Matt Russell and Rob Vanwynsberghe.


Come Fly with us, become a member or a SPONSOR. For more info. email Darren@aylmerspitfires.com