Young Canadians '93

Posted By: Graciano Da Ponte on Wednesday Aug 27, 2008

Back Row: Kevin Hutter, Alex Matallo, Darren Cholock, Giovanni Jr. Pentrelli, Brian Da Ponte, Rick Favrens (C)

Front Row: Graciano Da Ponte, Mike Apolonia (A)

Posted By: Graciano Da Ponte on Wednesday Aug 27, 2008

The Young Canadians lost their final game of the year, 3-2 to the Garage Guys and the series 2-0. As was the case on many occassions this season, the YC were short-handed. Only 7 players showed up to the game. Unfortunately, Giovanni Jr. Pentrelli pulled his hamstring halfway through the first half. So, the YC were down to only 6 players for the rest of the game. Those 6 were: Alex Matallo, Mike “I’m Retired” Apolonia, Rick “Jet” Favrens, Darren Cholock, Brian “MiniGratz” Da Ponte & Kevin Hutter. It was a Hurculean effort by those players to keep the game close, but the Garage Guys and their 13 player line-up were just too much to overcome.

Goalie Graciano “5-Hole” Da Ponte got off to a bad start when he allowed a goal on the first shot of the night. “Rick had just finished saying to me, ‘OK Gratz, the game plan is for you stop every shot’. So what do I do? Let in the first shot they take.” But he regained his composure and played very well the rest of the way, making several tough saves and earning the game’s 2nd star.

The YC did tie the game a few minutes later, when Alex Matallo was left alone in front of the net. Pentrelli made a beautiful pass to set him up for the 1-timer, but he was stopped by GG goalie Chris Lioulios. Fortunately, Matallo was still in position to pop in his own rebound. The lead didn’t last long as John Lake was able to sneak in from the slot, behind the YC defenders and tap in the pass Lee Druken. With the GG winning 2-1 at halftime, the undermanned YC were just hoping to keep it close the rest of the way.

Instead, Mike Apolonia tied the game at 8:36 of the 2nd half, when he 1-timed a pass from captain Rick Favrens into the top corner. Apolonia, who was dragged out of a 1 game retirement, proved he should still be playing as he later added an assist to go with his 1 goal. The Garage Guys inability to put away the YC left them frustrated and open to exploitation. Several times, the GG players on the bench could be heard yelling at each other, much the same way Frank Genua does with his YC teammates.

Captain Favrens knew the YC had a chance, as slim as it was, to upset the GG. “I’m sure they looked at our squad before the game started and assumed it would be an easy game, considering we only had 2 subs. But we gave them a heck of a run and almost pulled it off. That’s one thing about this team. No matter how many or who shows up, we always give it our best effort and don’t give up easily.” Indeed, the YC fought the good fight but with 1:19 left in the game, Nelson Soares ended the YC hopes of an upset when he put the game away with a 1-timer from the slot.

That goal was the final nail in the coffin for the YC, as they ended what looked like a promising season on a disappointing note. Ultimately, the Young Canadians downfall was a lack of commitment from many long time players. Understandably, as players get older, priorities change. In their teens & twenties, the Young Canadians had all the time in the world to play hockey. But in recent years, most of them have gotten married, are starting families, or changing jobs, etc. Hopefully, each individual will give their availability & commitment an honest evaluation, so captain Favrens can move forward with building the team for next year.

Next year, the team will be at a crossroads. Do they stay in ‘Tier 3’, drop down to ‘Tier 4’ or fold altogether. To stay in ‘Tier 3’, the YC will need to add players who can play more than 3-4 games a season. By dropping down to ‘Tier 4’ again, the team may be able to repeat last year’s successful campaign, culminating with a 4th place finish at the All-Ontario’s. Surely, many of the current players are not ready to retire just yet and perhaps a merger of some kind will keep the Young Canadians going strong for years to come.

Posted By: Graciano Da Ponte on Friday Aug 22, 2008

The Young Canadians lost to the All-Ontario bound Garge Guys 6-3. In typical YC fashion, the team played well in the first half, holding the GG to a 1-1 tie. But in the second half, the train came off the track. Garage Guys scored 5 goals, including an empty-netter, to send the YC home, trailing 1-0 in the series. GG was led by their superstar, Lee Druken, who scored 2 & assisted on 3 others. Druken has been a YC killer throughout the year. In 5 games, Druken has scored 8 goals & 12 assists. He was held off the scoresheet only once, the YC’s only victory over the Garage Guys.

Things didn’t start off well for the YC, as Garage got on the scoreboard just a over minute into the game. But that goal didn’t faze the team. They continued to play well defensively and got several scoring chances, culminating with Jason “Gino Jay” Snell’s goal with 4:00 left in the first half. Using his “Super Mario” legs, Snell beat the defenders and deked the goalie Chris Lioulios. To score his 11th goal of the year. The score was 1-1 at the half and things were looking good, but the YC were about to feel the offensive outburst of the Garage Guys.

Within 2:00 of the start of the 2nd half, the YC found themselves down 3-1. Two mistakes that the GG pounced on and before you know it, the YC are down by 2 goals. They didn’t let up either, scoring 2 more before Gino “MVP” Gallo replied for the YC. Alex “Fubu” Matallo made things interesting when he scored a power play goal with 1:55 left in the game. But there would be no comeback in this game, as the Garage Guys sealed the deal with an empty net goal, :18 seconds before the final whistle.

The YC will try to rebound in game #2, this Sunday, August 24 @ 11:00 pm (Rinx). They will need to win the game, to force OT and possibly a shootout.

Posted By: Graciano Da Ponte on Wednesday Aug 13, 2008

The Young Canadians dispatched the Brama Bullets on Sunday with a come from behind 3-3 tie. The game started similarly to the first, as the Brama Bullets only had one player on the bench. But as the game wore on, more & more Brama players arrived, to the point were they had more subs than the Young Canadians. Of course, the YC held a 1-0 series lead, so the Bullets had to win this game to force OT and possibly a shootout.

The game started off well for the Bullets, as Marco Cavaliere picked the corner on YC goalie Graciano Da Ponte, who let his wife down again by allowing the goal over his glove. Thankfully, soon to be married, Giovanni “1st Star” Pentrelli scored the same way against Bullets’ goalie Nick Turcaloro. But the Bullets regained the lead 3:00 minutes later, when Da Ponte’s hesitation towards playing a dump in resulted in Mike D’Arpino reaching the ball first and scoring into an empty net, while shorthanded. But once again, it was Pentrelli who got the YC back on board, with his 2nd goal of the game.

The game went back and forth with both teams getting quality chances, but as long as the game remained tied, the YC would advance to the finals. Well, the Bullets came close late in the 2nd half, when Da Ponte was forced to make a diving stick save to rob Val Lippa of the go-ahead goal. Lippa would get his revenge several minutes later, when he took the ball at the side boards and walked out into the slot, beating Da Ponte up high again, this time to the stick side.

Things looked bleak for the YC, but with 1:00 minute left, Jim Porfida was assessed a penalty for tripping Alex Matallo. With time running down, coach Rick “JET” Favrens, signalled Da Ponte to head to the bench for the extra attacker. With a 2 man advantage, the stage was set for the YC to come from behind and eliminate the Bullets. They came close when Pentrelli hit the post with his 1-timer. But soon after, Gino “MVP” Gallo blasted a shot past Turcaloro, to send the Young Canadians into the finals.

The YC will now face the All-Ontario bound Garage Guys, who won their series 3pts – 1pt over the Canucks. The series starts on Sunday, August 17 @ 4:00 pm (Rinx).

Posted By: Graciano Da Ponte on Friday Aug 08, 2008

The Young Canadians defeated the undermanned Brama Bullets 4-0 on Tuesday. The game was in danger of being cancelled, since the Bullets only had 4 players and a goalie during warm-ups. The referees waited for 5 minutes, when finally, the 5th player walked out onto the floor. The Bullets had to start the game on the penalty kill, after receiving 2:00 minutes for delay of game. Naturally, the YC dominated the possession during the power play, testing Bullets goalie Nick Turcaloro on several occasions and immediately tiring out the Bullets’ defenders.

The YC finally got on the board when Frank “The Nucleus” Genua scored with his traditional 1-timer on a pass from Giovanni Jr. Pentrelli. Genua had several more opportunities to score but was foiled by the expansion joint running down the centre of the floor. On several occasions, he was set up with a perfect pass but the ball would hop over his stick after hitting the joint. Pentrelli would get his 1st playoff goal shortly after, when Alex “FUBU” Matallo made a nice pass to send him in on the goalie.

The score was only 2-0 at thalf time. The Bullets did an admirable job of defending and Turcaloro made some spectacular saves, but realistically, the YC weren’t really pushing very hard. Shawn Morgan summed up the effort, “We didn’t bury them early. It seemed like we were just going through the motions. They actually got a breakaway in the first few minutes. I think that might have been our wake-up call.” Indeed, it was. Less than a minute into the 2nd half, Gino “Cantina” Gallo scored the prettiest goal of the game. Brian “MiniGratz” Da Ponte picked up the ball in the neutral zone and made a lob pass to Morgan, who carried the ball in. As the defender came over to take the ball, Morgan lifted a pass over to Gallo who was streaking towards the net. Gallo, using great eye-to-hand coordination, batted the ball from a foot off the ground, into net. That goal seemed to take whatever wind the Bullets had left out of their sails.

Pentrelli would add one more goal, with 6:23 left in the game, to round out the scoring. After that, the YC just concentrated on minimizing the Bullets’ scoring chances, in order to give goalie Graciano “4th Star” Da Ponte his shutout. During handshakes after the game, Da Ponte asked Turcaloro where his team mates were. He responded, “I think they were still depressed from not qualifying for the All-Ontario’s.” The Bullets, who were in first place by a point heading into the final regular season game showdown with the Garage Guys, lost the game 1-0, thus ending their Provincial Championship hopes.

The YC now head into Game #2 on Sunday, August 10 @ 8:00 pm (Rinx) with the 1-0 series lead. No doubt the Brama Bullets will rally and show up with a full team. If not, it may be a quick & easy series for the Young Canadians.