ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Township Zodiacs travel ice hockey team closed out its 2009-2010 season with two strong performances as they split their two post-season playoff games in the Morris County Youth Hockey League's PeeWee C-Division this past weekend.
The Zodiacs defeated Roxbury, 5-3, in a semifinal game on Saturday, March 13, at Mennen Arena in Morris Township and then came back the next day and lost a 6-3 decision to the Morristown Junior Colonials in the championship game, also at Mennen.
Morristown finished the season with a 6-12-1 overall record, the best of the three C-Division teams. Rockaway Township was 2-18-0 and Roxbury finished with an 0-17-2 record.
In Saturday's game against Roxbury, David Knightes scored a three-goal hat trick; Danny Abunza added two goals; and Michael Bozza finished with one goal. Team captain Curtis Appleby had three assists for Rockaway Township while Michael Schnurman added two and Bozza finished with one.
Andrew Thornton was in goal the entire game for Rockaway Township and finished with 20 saves.
Knightes scored the only goal of the first period and Abunza and Knightes each scored in the second period to offset Roxbury's first goal as Rockaway Township took a 3-1 lead into the third period.
Bozza, who had a goal disallowed earlier in the game on a crease violation, scored on a breakaway; Abunza scored his second goal of the game the same way he scored his first, by controlling a rebound of a Schnurman shot and beating the Roxbury goalie; Knightes completed his hat trick by scoring the final Rockaway Township goal.
In Sunday's loss to Morristown in the C-Division title game, the teams went into the final period tied at 2-2 where the Junior Colonials outscored the Rockets 3-1 - including an empty-net goal in the game's final 10 seconds - to claim their championship.
Jonathan Kwestel scored twice in the first period - with Daniel Abunza and Knightes getting the assists - to give Rockaway Township a 2-0 lead but Morristown came right back and scored the only two goals of the second period to tie the score.
Rockaway Township took the lead at 3-2 when Chris Bartel scored in the first minute of the final period with Knightes getting his second assist of the game.
But the Junior Colonials tied the score at 3-3 with 10 minutes to play; took the lead at 4-3 on a goal that took a crazy bounce over Thornton's stick with five minutes to play; and, with Thornton pulled for an extra skater in the final minute of play, Morristown scored into an empty net with 10 seconds left on the clock.
"Andrew Thornton played his best game all season," said head coach David Schnurman after the game, pointing out that Thornton finished the game with 51 saves. "He was one of several players who had outstanding performances for us in both games.
"David Knightes was relentless throughout both games, finishing with three goals and two assists ... Danny Abunza, who had two goals and an assist, continued to go at 110 percent no matter how tired he was from skating extra shifts ... Curtis Appleby was moved from forward to defense near the end of the season but continued to use his strong wrist shot from the points and had three assists in the two games ... and Michael Schnurman, also a defenseman, also worked hard on both ends of the ice and contributed two assists over the weekend."
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Bantams fall to Randolph in playoffs to end season
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Rockaway Township's travel hockey team finished its 2009-2010 season with a 6-3 loss to Randolph in a Morris County Youth Hockey League Bantam A-Division playoff semifinal held at Mennen Arena in Morris Township on Saturday, March 13.
Rockaway Township finished in fourth place with a 7-10-1 record in regular-season play; Randolph won the regular-season title with a 16-2 record.
Jake Andrea scored two unassisted goals in the first period and Matt Sinatra scored with 1:25 left in the game to account for Rockaway Township's goal scoring.
Randolph took a 1-0 lead on a first-period power-play goal only to have Andrea score unassisted to tie the game at 1-1. Randolph took a 2-1 lead with 5:14 left in the first period Andrea's goal 17 second later to tie the game at 2-2 before Randolph added its third goal of the period less than two minutes later to take a lead it never lost.
Rockaway Township fell behind 4-2 when Randolph scored the only goal of the second period and then Randolph scored twice more in the third period to build a 6-2 lead before Sinatra scored the final goal of the game with an assist from Mike Schulstad.
Rockaway goalie Tyler Ross finished the game with 35 saves.
"Tyler played another outstanding game in goal," said head coach Glenn Smail after the game. "Jim Doris, Pat Smail, Matt Sinatra and Tyhler Stalter had solid defensive games, too.
"Jake Andrea, Zach Blume, Dave Robertson, Mike Schulstad, Tim Doyle and Billy Yu should be commended, also ... Randolph had 12 more players than we did and was able to give its players more rest between shifts and our players had to work more and work harder.
"But our boys were outnumbered all season and I have to give them credit for putting up a tough fight in every game."
There were times when Smail was forced to bring up Jordan Schnurman and Daniel Abaunza from the township's pee-wee team to give the bantams enough skaters and "... they are to be commended, too, for going up against older and bigger kids," said Smai. "The coaching staff would also like to thank the parents for their help throughout the season, especially for getting their kids to the rink for our early ice times for games and practices.
"We had a good year ... the kids improved a lot over the course of the season and, at the end of the year, seemed more committed than ever to learn how improve as a team and as individuals," concluded Smail. "If we can keep the kids skating in the off season, we should put out a stronger team next season."
Smail's assistant coaches this season were Jim Doris and Randy Ross.
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Bantams head to playoffs against first-place Randolph
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Township Rockets Bantam travel hockey team is headed for the playoffs ... and arch-rival Randolph is waiting.
Rockaway Township completed its regular season schedule with a 7-10-1 record to finish in fourth place in the four-team A-Division of the Morris County Youth Hockey League.
Randolph won the division title with a 16-2-0 record with Morristown (12-3-2) the runnerup and Kinnelon (9-8-1) in third place.
The Rockaway Township-Randolph semifinal will be played on Saturday, March 3, at noon at Mennen Arena in Morris Township.
The Rocket bantams had a somewhat bumpy ride in the weeks leading up to their final game, a 2-1 victory over West Morris at Mennen Arena in Morris Township on Sunday, Feb. 28.
Earlier in the day, the Rockets lost a 4-0 decision to Morristown - also at Mennen.
In the weeks before that, Rockaway Township lost a 9-1 decision to Randolph; played Randolph to a 4-4 tie; and lost to Morristown, 5-4, on a last-seconds goal.
In the West Morris game on Sunday, Pat Smail and Tyler Stalter scored for the Rockets and West Morris got its goal with just five seconds left in the game. Tyler Ross assisted on both goals while Smail had an assist on Stalter’s goal.
Nick Bretzger, filling in for regular goaltender Ross, was able to turn away all but that one last shot on goal to pick up the win.
In the 5-4 loss to Morristown on Sunday, Feb. 7, Jake Andrea finished with three goals and Zach Blume had one.
Rockaway Township and Randolph met on the ice in back-to-back Sundays on Feb. 14 and Feb. 21 with the first meeting ending in a 4-4 tie and Randolph dominating the second game, 9-1, a game in which the Rockets were missing two starters.
In the 4-4 tie against Randolph, Christian Shuey scored twice and Dan Defonseca and Andrea each added single goals. In the rematch, it was all Randolph as the Rockets' lone goal came off the stick of Danny Abaunza, who scored his first goal as a bantam level after being called up from the peewees because the Rockets were short-handed.
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Zodiacs regular season ends with a loss
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Township Zodiacs PeeWees closed out their regular-season schedule with a 10-3 loss to Harding-Madison in a Morris County Youth Hockey League game played at Mennen Arena in Morris Township on Saturday, Feb. 27.
The Zodiacs (1-16) got on the scoreboard with the game only 17 seconds old when Jordan Schnurman scored the first of his two goals with an assist from Danny Abunza.
Harding/Madison (9-6) came back with six unanswered goals, however, and it took another goal by Schnurman (and another assist by Abunza) to break the scoring streak and send the teams into the second period with Harding/Madison holding a 6-2 lead.
The winners put the game out of reach with a 3-0 second period and then the teams each scored a goal in the final period to forge the final 10-0 score.
Curtis Appleby, with an assist from Schnurman, got the Zodiacs' third-period goal.
"Except for the first period, the game was very competitive," said head coach Dave Schnurman after the game. "Their six-goal flurry in the first period had us going a bit but we regained our composure toward the end of the period when Jordan scored his second goal.
"The team has improved throughout the season and now we’re waiting for the playoffs that are scheduled to start in two weeks."
Notes: Signups for next season's hockey program will be held in May ... there will be more info on the registration process on this Web site as soon as it is available. ...
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Zodiacs meet 'goals' in 11-4 loss to Jefferson
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Township Zodiacs peewee travel hockey team took its 1-14 record into its Morris County Youth Hockey League game against 14-1 Jefferson at Mennen Arena on Saturday, Feb. 20, with two goals in mind -- put as many shots on net as it could and get on the board.
The Zodiacs accomplished both goals as they scored four times on 18 shots on goal in a 11-4 loss to the PeeWee Division-leading Jefferson team.
"We're looking for progress every time out and we thought our kids played well against a very good Jefferson team," head coach David Schnurman said after the game. "Andrew Thornton had another standout outing in goal for us as he finished the game with a season-high 48 saves."
Jonathan Kwestel and Michael Schulstad accounted for all the Zodiac scoring as Kwestel finished with three goals and one assist and Schulstad scored a goal and had two assists.
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Zodiacs lose to Parsippany; Schnurman scores twice
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Jordan Schnurman scored two third-period goals in 35 seconds as the Rockaway Township Zodiacs Peewees lost a 7-3 decision to Parsippany-One in a Morris County Youth Hockey League game played at Mennen Arena in Morris Township.
The Zodiacs are 1-14 and Parsippany improved to 10-4 with the win.
The Rockaway Township coaches consider the game an "improvement" for their team and program since, in two games earlier this season, Parsippany won 11-1 and 10-1.
Zodiac goalie Andrew Thorton kept the game from getting out of hand by making 39 saves.
Danny Abunza scored the Zodiacs' first goal, gaining control of the puck after the Parsippany goalie made a kick save on a shot by Schnurman and sending it into the net.
Schnurman's first goal was an end-to-end rush that saw him elude three Parsippany defenders before shooting and scoring.
Schnurman's second goal came after he won the ensuing faceoff and sent the puck into the Parsippany end. Matt Rogers and Chris Bartel kept the puck in the Parsippany zone before Michael Schnurman got control, sent it to Abunza and Abunza found Jordan Schnurman who beat Parsippany goalie high on the stick side.
The next game for the Zodiacs is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20, against Denville at Mennen's Rink #3 at 9:45 a.m.
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Bantams gain split against top teams
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Township bantams travel ice hockey team took on the division leaders the past two weekends and came out of the Morris County Youth Hockey League (MCYHL) games with a split.
Rockaway Township upset first-place Randolph, 7-4, at Mennen Arena in Morris Township on Sunday, Jan. 17, and then played second-place Morristown a week later at Mennen and came out on the short end of a 9-1 decision.
Randolph still holds first place in the MCYHL's bantam division with a 12-2 record with Morristown on its heels with a 10-2-1 mark. Rockaway Township has a narrow hold on fourth place with a 7-5 record.
In the Randolph game, Jake Andrea led the way with four goals while Matt Sinatra, Zach Blume and Tyler Stalter each added one.
Andrea scored his first goal in the first period when Randolph scored twice to tkae a 2-1 lead. Sinatra, Blume and Andrea scored the only goals in the second period as Rockaway Township moved out to a 4-2 lead.
Andrea, Stalter and Andrea again scored in the third period to seal the victory as Randolph came up with only two goals.
Andrea and Sinatra each finished with two assists and Patrick Smail added one.
Tyler Ross was in goal for Rockaway Township and he finished with 25 saves.
"Our defense had a strong game against a powerful offensive-minded Randolph squad" said Rockaway coach Glenn Smails. "Tim Doyle played well on defense, as did Jim Doris, Pat Smail and Zach Blue.
"Danny Abaunza had to come up from the peewee level to help out fill out our roster and has exceeded our expectations by his solid play. Moving up a level is a tough adjustment and Danny has made the change smoothly."
Rockaway Township got the first goal of the game against Morristown when Andrea scored on an assist by Blume, but penalties led to eight power-play goals as Morristown scored nine unasnsered goals to win it.
"We had way too many penalties and mised opportunities all over the ice," Smail said. "We�ll just chalk it up as a bad game and look ahead to our next game and work on doing better."
Rockaway Township's next game is against Kinnelon on Sunday, Jan. 31, at Mennen at 10:30 a.m.
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PeeWees find success isn't always on the scoreboard
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Zodiacs peewee travel hockey played two games at two sites on Saturday, Jan. 23, and, although the Zodiacs lost both games, their coaching staff was quick to point out they had success in other areas than the scoreboard.
The Zodiacs played the first game of their "doubleheader" against Harding/Madison and fought back from a first-period three-goal deficit to pull to within one before losing, 6-4, in a Morris County Youth Hockey League (MCYHL) game at Mennen Arena in Morris Township.
In the second MCYHL game later in the day, the Zodiacs and Randolph met in a makeup game at Floyd Hall Arena in Montclair and Randolph skated off with a 7-3 victory.
The two losses put the Zodiacs� record at 1-13 for the season. Randolph improved to 2-12 and Harding/Madison is 7-6 after its victory.
"In our first game against Harding/Madison earlier in the season, we lost 5-0 and had only five shots on goal," Zodiac coach David Schnurman said. "This game was completely different because we are learning more and more how to play as a team.
"In the game against Randolph, we went from 10 skaters to only seven and worked a rotation substitute system where players went in and moved around the ice to different positions until it was time for them to come out again. We had players playing positions they never had played before, but it worked and we stayed competitive.
"We measure our success differently than most teams ... and the way these kids played in these two games today, was a tribute to their character."
In the first game, Curtis Appleby gave the Zodiacs a 1-0 lead in the first three minutes of play, but Harding/Madison answered quickly with four goals to take a 4-1 lead after one period of play.
Danny Abunza and David Knightes scored in the second period as the Zodiacs cut the deficit to two goals at 5-3.
Jonathan Kwestel scored a third-period goal that put the Zodiacs within a goal at 5-4 and, with 90 seconds to play, goalie Andrew Thornton was pulled for an extra skater and the move almost paid off as the Zodiacs got four quality shots on goal.
With 12 seconds to go, however, Harding/Madison notched the final goal of the game when a clearing pass that went more than half the length of the ice slid into the empty net.
Kwestel and Appleby each finished the game with two assists and Michael Schnurman and Knighte each had one for the Zodiacs.
In the loss to Randolph, Schnurman got two of the Zodiacs' three goals on end-to-end breakaways and Appleby scored the third goal, also unassisted.
The Zodiacs next game is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 30, against Denville at Mennen's Rink #3 at 9:45 a.m.
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Rockaway Twp. bows to Randolph, 2-0, in bantam game
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Bantam youth ice hockey team won't have long to wait to meet Randolph again.
The two teams played what Rockaway coach Glenn Smail described as "... an excellent game by both sides," as Randolph skated off with a 2-0 Morris County Youth Hockey League (MCYHL) victory over Rockaway in a game played at Mennen Arena in Morris Township on Sunday, Jan. 10.
The two squads will meet again Sunday, Jan. 17, in a 10:30 a.m. game at Mennen.
Randolph's first goal came in the first period and the second was scored in the third period with six minutes left to play in the game as Rockaway saw its season record slip to 5-4-1.
"It was a well-played game by both sides," Smail said after the game. "And we're looking forward to another exciting game with them this Saturday."
Randolph, which is in first place in Bantam A-Division of the MCYHL, outshot Rockaway, 26-14, for the game, a stat that Smail points out while praising the play of Rockaway goalie Tyler Ross.
"Tyler Ross had an exceptional day in the nets for us ... the coaches made him the team's 'Player of the Game,' because of it," Smail said. "He broke up Randolph plays in front of his net ... he stopped them on breakaways ... he stopped them on two power plays in the third period ... and several times during the game, he was able to clear the puck out of danger with several Randolph players on his doorstep.
"Tyler is having a tremendous season and, now that we are healthy again, we're looking forward to post-season play with him in our goal."
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Peewees rally falls short in 8-4 loss to Parsippany
ROCKAWAY - Down 7-0 in the third period, the Rockaway Zodiacs peewee travel ice hockey team went on a four-goal burst to pull to within three goals before an empty-net goal in the final seconds of play sealed an 8-4 victory for Parsippany in a Morris County Youth Hockey League game played at Mennen Arena in Morris Township on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010.
The loss was the 10th for the Zodiacs in 11 games; Parsippany improved to 7-4 with the victory.
Jordan Schnurman scored the first goal for the Zodiacs, converting a pass from Danny Abunza to cut the Parsippany lead to six at 7-1.
Jonathan Kwestel followed with a goal with Chris Bartel and Michael Bozza getting the assists. Alec Faber got the Zodiacs' third goal with Matt Rogers assisting and Schnurman got his second goal of the period with an assist from Abunza to cut the Parsippany lead to three at 7-4 with five minutes left in the game.
With 1:30 to play, the Zodiacs pulled goalie Andrew Thornton for an extra skater and, despite putting four shots on goal, failed to score. The final goal of the game was scored when a Parsippany clear slid right into the Zodiac's empty net.
"It seemed as if we could do nothing wrong in the third period," Zodiac coach David Schnurman said after the game. "Every play was working, every shot was on net and the puck was in the Parsippany end for most of the period.
"We had a number of shots either block or go wide or over the net in the first two periods, but the kids kept working and if finally all came together for us.
"The team is playing together much better on both sides of the ice now ... in the past three games, we scored 12 goals and that is more than we scored in our first eight games of the season.
"Thornton is playing well in goal and coming up with some spectacular saves each game. David Knightes and Kwestel are giving us solid defensive play and the offense is being led by Abunza and Schnurman."
Next up for the Zodiacs is a league game against the Parsippany-97 squad on Saturday, Jan. 9, at Mennen�s Rink No. 3 at 9:45 a.m.
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Squirts, down by five, battle back to lose by two
ROCKAWAY - The Rockaway youth hockey squirts team couldn't overcome a five-goal first-period by Denville and suffered a 6-4 loss in a Morris County Youth Hockey League game at Mennen Arena in Morris Township on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010.
Down 5-1 after one period of play and hampered by a short bench, Rockaway outscored Denville 3-1 over the final two periods but couldn't cut the gap to any more than two goals.
"The boys played very well and had a nice little comeback ... they never quit," said assistant coach John Campo after the game. "Our goalie Andrew Thornton played a tremendous game - the Denville coaches even commented about the great game he had in goal."
Jake Lissy scored Rockaway's first-period goal with an assist from Zachary Campo. Justin Neilson and Keiren Regen each scored unassisted goals in the second period as the Zodiacs closed to within three goals at 6-3.
Vaughn Stanziale's first goal of the season - with an assist by Anthony Figueroa - was the only score of the final period as the Zodiacs cut the final margin to two.
The Rockaway squirt team's next game will be against Robury on Saturday, Jan. 10, at Mennen at 4:15 p.m.
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Zodiacs PeeWees lose twice, but gain praise from coach
ROCKAWAY - The Rockaway Zodiacs peewee travel ice hockey team had a long day on the Mennen Arena ice on Sunday, Dec. 27, and, although they lost both games and saw their record slip to 1-9, head coach David Schnurman came out of the day optimistic that things were getting better.
The Zodiacs opened the day with a morning Morris County Youth Hockey League game against Denville (6-3) and fell behind 5-0 after one period and went on to lose 10-3.
The afternoon game saw the Zodiacs take a 5-0 lead into the final seven minutes of play of their game against Long Valley (1-9) only to have Long Valley score the final six goals of the game and escape with a 6-5 victory.
"Long Valley made an unbelievable comeback," Schnurman said after the game. "But after playing a very fast-paced game against Denville in the morning, it was painfully obvious that the energy tanks on our kids were very near empty.
"Our kids played great up to the time Lenape Valley started its comeback. Our kids were doing everything right and it looked as if all our had work and practicing would pay off with a victory."
Jordan Schnurman scored the only goal of the first period, beating the Long Valley goalie on an assist by Danny Abunza in the first 20 seconds of play.
Jonathan Kwestel and Schnurman gave the Zodiacs a 3-0 lead with unassisted goals early in the second period and then Schnurman completed his hat trick on an assist by Alec Faber to give the Zodiacs a 4-0 lead going into the final period.
Kwestel's unassisted goal - a shot from a seemingly impossible angle that went into the top right corner oif the net - early in the third period to give the Zodiacs a 5-0 lead ... and then Lenape Valley started its incredible comeback.
In the morning game, Kwestel scored an unassisted goal; Schnurman scored a goal with an assist from Chris Bartel; and Bartel added the Zodiacs' final goal on an assist from Schnurman.
"The kids didn't give up when they were down 5-0 ... and you have to like that," Schnurman said. "We started off slowly, but thanks to the efforts and leadership of Abunza, we were able to stay competitive in the second and third periods.
"If we take away anything from these two games is that our very young team is starting to grow and play together ... we are getting stronger and better with each game we play."
NOTES: Next up for the Zodiacs is an MCYHL game against Parsippany on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010, at Mennen that is scheduled to start at 9:45 a.m. ... Schnurman, who scored his first three-goal hat trick of the season against Denville in the morning game, was named the MVP of the first game while Abunza got the honor in the second game "... for his leadership and competitive nature," that enabled the Zodiacs to take their 5-0 lead after two periods ... Jonathan Cavallone was the Zodiac goalie Sunday and he "... played an incredible game and mades a lot of saves you don't expect to see at this level," said the elder Schnurman. ...
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Short-handed Bantams fall to Kinnelon, 4-1
ROCKAWAY - The Rockaway Bantams travel ice hockey team, playing with only eight skaters and goalie Tyler Ross, suffered its third loss of the season on Sunday, Dec. 27, when it lost a 4-1 decision to Kinnelon in a Morris County Youth Hockey League game played at Mennen Arena in Morris Township.
Matt Sinatra scored the only goal for Rockaway (5-3-1), taking a pass from Tyler Stalter and beating the Kinnelon goalie early in the third period to close the gap to 2-1 after Kinnelon had scored a goal in each of the first two periods.
Ross had a solid game in goal, finishing the game with 28 saves.
Sinatra was named 'Player of the Game' by the Rockaway coaching staff for his play on both ends of the ice.
"Matt spent the game switching back and forth from offense to defense, taking a lot of extra shifts because we were short-handed," said Rockaway coach Glenn Smail after the game. "Not only did he score our only goal of the game, but he was very effective on defense as he kept a lot of Kinnelon players from getting off shots on Ross."
Next up for the Rockaway Bantams is a 9 a.m. game on Sunday, Jan. 10, against Jefferson at Mennen.
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Bantams lose second in a row in 5-0 loss to Kinnelon
ROCKAWAY - The Rockaway Bantams lost their second Morris County Youth Hockey League game in a row when they dropped a 5-0 decision to Kinnelon at Mennen Arena in Morris Township on Sunday, Dec. 20.
Rockaway (5-2-1) despite missing three starters and dressing only nine skaters and one goalie for the game, trailed by only 2-0 after one period and 3-0 after two before Kinnelon put the game out of reach with a pair of power-play goals in the third period.
Rockaway goalie Adam Katz turned back 25 of the 30 shots he faced while Rockaway put 19 shots on the Kinnelon goal.
The Rockaway coaches selected Jimmy Doris as the team�s "Player of the Week" for playing a solid game even though he had been ill all week.
"It was a fast-paced and hard-hitting game and we had to use Jimmy in several positions," said Rockaway head coach Glenn Smail after the game. "He should be commended for his effort.
"Actually, ALL the players should be praised for their efforts in the game since a lot of times we were asking them to play extended shifts without the rest they usually get because we were short-handed."
Kevin Fischer, Pat Smail, Matt Sinatra, Tyler Ross, Mike Schulstad, Billy Yu, Tim Doyle, Tyler Stalter, Katz and Doris were the Rockaway players who suited up for the game.
Rockaway is off until Sunday, Dec. 27, when the bantams will face Kinnelon again in a 10:30 a.m. game at Mennen.
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PeeWees stopped cold by hot Hanover goalie
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway PeeWees, in the meantime, were stonewalled by a hot Hanover goalie in a 4-0 loss at Mennen on Saturday, Dec. 19.
"We had 41 shots on goal but their goalie made some incredible saves," said PeeWee head coach David Knightes after the game. "Our players kept their composure and kept crashing the nets and we also hit well during the game."
Jordan Schnurman put 13 shots on the Hanover nets for Rockaway while Danny Abunza added seven, Curtis Appleby and David Knightes each had five, and MIchael Bozza finished with three.
Rockaway goalie Andrew Thornton also had a solid game in the nets as he turned away 25 shots on goal. Rockaway is 1-6; Hanover, 2-5.
Next up for the PeeWees is an 8:15 a.m. game against Denville on Sunday, Dec. 27, at Mennen.
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Rockaway loses first game of season after starting 5-0-1
ROCKAWAY - The Rockaway Bantams in the Morris County Youth Hockey League suffered their first loss of the season on Friday, Dec. 18, when they lost a 6-2 decision to Randolph in a game played at Mennen Arena in Morris Township.
Rockaway, which had been unbeaten at 5-0-1 going into the game, fell behind 2-0 after one period before defenseman Pat Smail made the scored 2-1 with an unassisted goal early in the second period.
Randolph, however, was able to answer and did so by reeling off three straight goals to take a 5-1 lead into the final period of play.
Rockaway center Jake Andrea cut the lead to three goals with an unassisted goal early in the third period but Randolph was able to counter with its own third-period goal for the final score of the game.
Player of the Week honors went to Kevin Fischer, who "... fought for the puck in the offensive zone and back-checked well when Randolph had the puck in our zone," according to Bantam head coach Glenn Smail.
"In fact, the entire second line of Billy Yu, Tim Doyle, Mike Schulstad and Fischer had a great game for us."
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Rockaway-Morristown 'Battle of Unbeatens' ends in tie
ROCKAWAY - Rockaway and Morristown's bantam ice hockey teams came out of their "Battle of Unbeatens" with a 4-4 tie when Rockaway's Matt Sinatra scored the tying goal with less than a minute left to play in a Morris County Youth Hockey League game at Mennen Arena in Morris Township on Sunday, Dec. 13.
The game, which saw Morristown jump out to a 3-0 lead after the first two periods of play only to have Rockaway tie it up with a four-goal flurry in the final period, left both teams with a 5-0-1 record.
Rockaway goes up against another top bantam team on Friday, Dec. 18, at 9:30 p.m. when it faces 5-1 Randolph at Mennen. Randolph's only loss was to Morristown.
Morristown led 2-0 after one period and 3-0 after two before Rockaway got on the board when Jake Andrea scored 25 seconds into the third period on an assist from Kevin Fischer.
Thirty seconds later, Fischer put Rockaway to within a goal at 3-2 when he scored when he put in a rebound off a shot by Matt Sinatra, who got the assist on the goal.
Midway through the final period, Rockaway pulled into a 3-3 tie when Sinatra scored a power-play goal with an assist from Andrea. Morristown regained the lead at 4-3 when it scored on a power-play goal late in the game.
With 52 seconds remaining in the game, Morristown picked up another penalty and Rockaway earned the tie when Sinatra scored his second goal of the game on assists from Tim Doyle and Andrea.
Tyler Ross, who missed a game because of illness, was back in the goal for Rockaway and had a strong game, stopping 32 of the 36 shots he faced.
The Rockaway coaching staff, which usually picks a 'Player of the Week' for the weekly game, was unable to single out one player for the honor after the Morristown game.
"It was truly impossible to pick only one player for this game," explained head coach Glenn Smail after the game. 'The effort put forth by both the offense and the defense against a quality team was incredible.
"Tyler Ross had a solid game in goal, but that was only half the defensive story for the game. And the comeback by the offense with four goals in the final period was also an amazing feat."
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PeeWees fall to Randolph, 4-2
ROCKAWAY - The Rockaway Zodiacs peewee ice hockey team lost a close 4-2 decision to the Randolph peewees in a Morris County Youth Hockey League game played at Mennen Arena on Morris Township on Saturday, Dec. 12.
Danny Abaunza scored for the Zodiacs in the first period, taking a pass from Jordan Schnurman and putting it past the Randolph goalie for his first goal of the season.
Randolph (2-4) took leads of 2-1 after one period and 4-1 after two periods, but Rockaway (1-5) kept fighting back and pulled to within two goals at 4-2 when Collin Dignam scored his first goal of the season when he notched the only goal of the third period on assists from Michael Bozza and Alec Faber.
Andrew Thornton had a busy day in the nets for Rockaway and finished the game with 33 saves, getting a lot of help from the defensive corps of Jonathan Kwestel, David Knightes, Michael Schnurman and Faber.
Offensive pressure put on by team captains Curtis Appleby and Abunza as well as Jordan Schnurman helped keep the Zodiacs close throughout the game.
Rockaway's next game is on Saturday, Dec. 19, when the Zodiacs face Hanover at Mennen Arena in an 11:15 a.m. contest on Rink No. 3.
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Andrea's goal beats Harding-Madison, 3-2
ROCKAWAY - Jake Andrea's goal in the third period - his second of the game - held up as the game-winner as the unbeaten Rockaway Township Bantams defeated Harding-Madison, 3-2, in a Morris County Youth Hockey League game played at Mennen Arena in Morris Township on Sunday, Dec. 6.
Andrea broke a 2-2 tie when he finished a play that started with passes from Zach Blume and Matt Sinatra, both of whom were credited with assists on the goal.
The victory was the fifth of the season in as many games for Rockaway Township.
Rockaway Township goalie Adam Katz, subbing for regular goaltender Tyler Ross who missed the game due to illness, was solid in the nets as he stopped 25 of the 27 shots that an aggressive Harding-Madison offense put on goal. Katz was named Player of the Game by the Rockaway Township coaching staff.
"Harding-Madison spent most of the game in our zone and Katz and our defense corps were put the test" said Rockaway Township head coach Glenn Smail after the game. "Their hard work made the difference in the game.
"We rotated defensemen throughout the game and the play of Andrea, Matt Sinatra, James Doris, Pat Smail, Tim Doyle and Tyler Stalter in front of Katz is to be commended."
Stalter scored an unassisted goal in a first period that ended in a 1-1 tie.
Both teams scored a goal in the second period with Andrea getting his first goal with an assist from Blume, the first of his two assists for the game.
Andrea put Rockaway Township ahead, 3-2, with his second goal of the game and Katz & Co. made the goal stand up by keeping Harding-Madison off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
Rockaway Township faces another tough game on Sunday, Dec. 13, when it faces the Junior Colonials of Morristown in a 9 a.m. game at Mennen.
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Squirts fall to Chatham-2
The Rockaway Township Squirts hockey team saw its record dip to 1-3 on the season after falling to Chatham-2, 8-0, in a Morris County Youth Hockey League game at Mennen Arena on Sunday, Dec. 6.
Chatham-2 (1-3) held a 2-0 lead after one period and increased it to 3-0 after two until putting the game out of reach with a four-goal flurry in the final period.
Rockaway Township faces the Chatham-1 squirts in an 8:45 a.m. game on Sunday, Dec. 13, at Mennen.
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Andrea, Smail, Stalter lead way in 9-2 win over Denville
Jake Andrea and Pat Smail each scored two goals and Tyler Stalter had a goal and three assists as the unbeaten Rockaway Township Bantams defeated Denville, 9-2, in a Morris County Youth Hockey League game played at Mennen Arena in Morris Township on Sunday, Nov. 22.
The win was the fourth in as many games for Rockaway Township.
Andrea and Smail each scored first-period goals as Rockaway Township took a 2-0 lead and then put the game out of reach with a five-goal outburst in the second period. Billy Yu and Kevin Fischer each scored their first goals of the season and Dave Robertson, Andrea and Stalter also scored to give Rockaway Township a 7-0 lead heading into the final period of play.
Sinatra and Smail matched the two third-period goals by Denville to complete the scoring for the game.
Yu finished with two assists to go along with his goal and Zach Blume and Smail also had assists for the winners.
Tyler Ross finished the game with 10 saves and has now allowed but three goals in Rockaway Township's first four league games.
Yu and Stalter split the team's Player of the Week honors.
"This is Yu's first year in the league and he has made a significant improvement in his level of play in a short amount of time," said head coach Glenn Smail after the game. "Stalter had huge efforts on both offense and defense ... he played an outstanding game."
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Bantam's 4-goal third clinches 6-0 win over North Morris
After scoring a single goal in each of the first two periods, the Rockaway Township bantams nailed down their third straight win without a loss when they exploded for four third-period goals in a 6-0 victory over North Morris in a Morris County Youth Hockey League game at Mennen Arena in Morris Township on Sunday, Nov. 15.
Pat Smail scored the first-period goal with the help of Dave Robertson, who did a great job in screening the North Morris goalie. Zach Blume scored the second-period goal, converting a pass from Jake Andrea.
Rockaway Township broke open the game in the third period when Andrea scored two goals and Tyler Stalter and Matt Sinatra each added one. Smail, Blume and Jimmy Doris had assists in the period.
Smail was the Player of the Week for his solid game on both ends of the rink and Tim Doyle was praised by the coaching staff for his work in keeping the puck in the North Morris end for most of the game, an effort that helped account for Rockaway Township outshooting North Morris, 35-4.
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Blume's hat trick sparks 8-0 victory over Hanover
Zach Blume scored a three-goal hat trick and added two assists; Dave Robertson had two goals and two assists, and Jake Andrea finished with two goals and an assist to lead the Rockaway Township Bantams to an 8-0 victory over Hanover in a Morris County Youth Hockey League game at Mennen Arena in Morris Township on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Tyler Stalter also scored a goal and Tyler Ross got credit for the shutout by stopping all 11 shots that Hanover put on net.
Blume and Robertson shared Player of the Week honors and Mike Schulstad drew praise from the team's coaching staff for his inspired play throughout the game.
"Mike is the youngest player on the team and he was able to fight off some of the bigger Hanover players in order for us to keep the puck in the Hanover zone," said head coach Glenn Smail after the game. "He also got in some solid checks and made some nice passes in front of the net."
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Rockaway Township beats Jefferson, 9-1, in opener
Jake Andrea got the 2009-2010 ice hockey season off to a good start in Rockaway Township as he scored three goals and had five assists as the Bantams defeated Jefferson, 9-1, in a Morris County Youth Hockey League game at Mennen Arena in Morris Township on Sunday, Oct. 25.
Leading 1-0 on after Andrea scored the only goal of the first period, Rockaway Township erupted for six goals in the second period with Andrea, Mtt Sinatra and Zach Blume each scoring twice.
Dave Robertson and Pat Smail concluded the Rockaway Township goal-scoring efforts by each notching a goal in the third period. Blume, Smail and Sinatra also had assists during the game.
Rockaway Township goalie Tyler Ross was kept busy and finished with a solid game in the nets as he stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced.
