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HomeMy Public PortalAboutWinter Sports: Hockey - Junior Steelheads II 2016-2017Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Home Grown Hockey Junior Steelheads roster has four players from Idaho "9 wanted to be a bit selfish and be in my own pond." ----Jack York BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News The home towns on the roster of the Idaho Junior Steelheads reads like an atlas of the United States and the world. But Idaho is finally getting representation on the team. Second -year starting forward Hunter Lester, second -year defenseman Jack York and forward Cory McClintick are from Boise, while first -year defenseman Zach Biebuyck is from Nampa. All four came up through Boise's Junior Steelheads youth hockey program and played together at various times on Mite, Squirt, PeeWee and Bantam squads "Idaho's kind of like that hidden gem for hockey players," York said. "That's part of the reason 1 came back here, I wanted to be a bit selfish and be in my own pond." Poe,w For Me Sm-Ne,n by Kyle Saw, From left, Hunter Lester, Inch Biehuyek, Cory McClintick and Jack York are four Boise players on this years Idaho Junior Steelheads hockey team who have known each other since they started playing hockey at ages g to 7. All four Idaho players have left the state to live with families elsewhere while they honed their hockey skills. Lester, 18, moved away at age 13 and played for a AAA hockey team in Arizona. York, 18, left at age 15 for the Pikes Peak Minors AAA team based in Colorado. Biebuyck (pronounced BEE -buck), 20, played for Junior Steelheads teams in Boise until two years ago, when he left for to play for Florida's Palm Beach Hawks in the U.S. Premier Hockey League. McClintick, 19, left Idaho last year to play for Seattle's West Sound Warriors Tier III junior team. Junior Steelheads coach John Olver is quick to point out the four were not selected merely because of their zip codes. 'The Boise players aren't just names on our roster, they're players who are making an impact on our team," Olver said. Lester is the third -highest goal scorer for the Junior Steelheads so far this season with 18 goals and 19 assists. Top Performers York and Biebuyck are key defensemen for Idaho and in the net. York averages a goal per game and has tallied nine goals and 15 assists, while Biebuyck has scored seven goals and made 17 assists. McClintick has four goals and three assists. While the four are enjoying the success of this year's team so far, all admit hockey has not always been easy. "Hunter and I have practiced together since we were 5 or 6 and were on our first travel team together," York said. "I'm pretty sure we lost every game in those early years." All agree hard work and determination are what earned them a Junior Steelheads jersey. "Have fun while hockey's fun," McClintick said. "Work your butt off, because at this level it's still fun, but it's a job." http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 1 /7/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Idaho becomes known as source for hockey players There has been a shift among hockey coaches in other parts of the county who used to ask, "where is Idaho?" Idaho Junior Steelheads coach John Olver said. "We're talking about a non-traditional hockey market here for sure," Olver said. Idaho's hockey fortunes got a boost when the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads started play in Boise in 1997, Olver said. Professional hockey players tend to get involved in coaching youth teams and running youth programs, said Olver, who was the head coach of the Idaho Steelheads between 2000 and 2005, winning the ECHL's Kelly Cup championship in 2004. Former Idaho Steelheads Cal Ingraham, Mike Hansen, Jeremy Mylymok and Kory Scoran are some of players who have been involved in Idaho youth hockey programs since leaving the professional ranks, Olver said. -The athletes are just as talented in Boise as they are in New York, but now you get ice time, competition and top-notch coaching," he said. http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 1/7/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Steelheads Power, Jones contribute at WSHL all-star game BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News Macky Power and Dimitris Jones from the Idaho Junior Steelheads both contributed during the Westem States Hockey League All -Star Game on Saturday in Oklahoma City, Okla. The All -Stars won, 3-0, over the Oklahoma City Blazers during the showcase of the leagues best players. With 5 minutes, 38 seconds gone in the game, Power, of Boise, made a sharp pass to Damon Hanson of the Missoula Maulers, who then scored what proved to be the only goal the all-stars would need in shutting out the host Blazers. Jones, the Junior Steelheads co -captain from Normandy Park, Wash., played solid defense for the all- stars and also won the Most Accurate Shooter contest in the Skills Competition. The Junior Steelheads' next game will be a one -game road trip to the Ogden Mustangs on Saturday, Jan. 16. The home season for the Idaho team resumes in McCall against the Salt Lake City Moose Jan. 22-24. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoorspage.php 1 /7/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Junior Steelheads lose to Ogden, 3-1, return to home Ice this weekend BY TOM GROTE for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads lost to the Ogden Mustangs, 3-1, in Ogden on Saturday. In the team's first game since a month -long holiday break, the Junior Steelheads fell to a 2-0 deficit in the second period when Ogden's Austin Shea scored two goals within a minute. The Idaho team struggled until 3 minutes left in the third period when Oleg Losev finally got the team on the board to make the score 2-1. Caleb Pola of the Mustangs sealed the game with a third goal with just 30 second remaining. The Junior Steelheads lost despite making 43 shots on goal to 37 for the Mustangs. Goalie Sergei Pysarenko took the loss for the Idaho team. The Junior Steelheads (24-6-0-1) are in second place in the Northwest Division of the Westem States Hockey League behind the Missoula Maulers. The Steelheads retum to home ice this weekend to play the Salt Lake City Moose of the Mountain Division. Game times are 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 1/21 /2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 2 Junior Steelheads return to home ice with sweep of Salt Lake City Power, Berndt, Williams each score two goals during weekend BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News Macky Power, Tyler Berndt and Kyle Williams each lit the lamp twice during the Idaho Junior Steelheads three -game series sweep over the Salt Lake City Moose at McCall last weekend. Idaho outscored the Moose 7-1 on Friday then edged out Salt Lake City 3-1 and 2-1 Saturday and Sunday for its first home series since the new year began. "We love home ice and playing here and we're getting great support from our fans," coach John Olver said. Idaho is currently ranked second with a record of 26 wins, six losses and one overtime loss in the Northwest Division of the Western States Hockey League. The Junior Steelheads trail number one ranked Missoula Maulers (27-7-0-2) by two goal points. The Idaho team will travel to Missoula this weekend for a three -game series against the Maulers. Missoula solidly beat Idaho during a three -game series at McCall on Nov. 20-22 in the team's first -ever sweep loss on home ice. Mow for 1Le Sm-rieme by Gary Gvu Junior Steelhead Kyle Williams leaps out of the way of a puck headed toward the Moose goal during Saturdays game in McCall. "Right now we are fighting for our life for playoff position," Olver said. "We have a huge series with Missoula next weekend and it will be a big test for our team." Veteran forward Nikita Zgirskis of Latvia is currently Idaho's top scorer with 26 goals and 25 assists. Goal tender Sergei Pysarenko of the Ukraine is ranked number four in the WSHL's goalie list with a 12-3 win -loss record and .938 save percentage. IDAHO 7, SALT LAKE 1 Williams scored two goals to help the Junior Steelheads trounce the Moose, 7-1 with about 400 fans watching at Manchester Ice and Event Centre on Friday night. Idaho led 2-0 after the first period with goals from Berndt and Williams Idaho's Colton Fletcher and Power landed a goal each early in the second period before Salt Lake scored its lone goal of the game. The Junior Steelheads continued its scoring frenzy adding goals by Boise's Cory McClintick, another from Williams and Sweden's Pontus Blom to finish with the 7-1 victory. Goal tender Austin Althaus of St. Cloud, Minn., stopped 17 of Satt Lake's attempt to score. Idaho had 35 shots on net. IDAHO 3, SALT LAKE 1 Idaho gutted out a 3-1 win for game two with about 500 hockey fans watching on Saturday. Idaho had a one goal lead after the first period as forward Hunter Lester lit the lamp barely 30 seconds into the start of the game assisted by Power and Zgirskis. The Junior Steelheads made 17 attempts to score in the second period but Salt Lake held the reigning WSHL champions off and the score remained 1-0. "They're (Salt Lake) goal -tender just stoned us with a great performance," Olver said. "I thought we played very well in the second period. Power fought off a check and passed the puck to Zgirskis who scored a back -door goal to give the Junior Steelheads a two goal cushion. Power sailed in third goal for Idaho later in the period. The Moose would chip its lone goal with about a minute left in regulation play to end the game, 3-1. Pysarenko stopped 22 of Salt Lake's attempts to score. Idaho had 30 shots on net. IDAHO 2, SALT LAKE 1 Berndt scored his second goal of the weekend to help lift Idaho over Salt Lake, 2-1 for the final game and cap the series win in front of about 300 fans on Sunday. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 1 /28/20I 6 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 2 of 2 After a scoreless first period, the Moose were up 1-0 in the second. Bemdt scored with about 10 seconds left in the period assisted by Power and Lewis to tie it up , 1-1. Connor Hoernlein lit the lamp in the third period for the go ahead goal assisted by Alex Knutsson of Sweden and Boise's Jack York. Goalie Althaus stopped 16 of Salt Lake's attempts to find the back of the net. Idaho had 35 shots on goal. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoorspage.php 1 /28/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 2 Payback in Missoula Junior Sieelheads sweep Maulers as revenge for November home sweep BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Pysarenko moved into first place in the Western States Hockey League's Northwest Division with a three -game series sweep over the Missoula Maulers on the road last weekend. Idaho beat the Maulers on their home ice, 5-2 on Friday, 1- 0 on Saturday and 2-1 for Sundays game. The wins were sweet revenge against Missoula, which swept the Junior Steelheads at home on Nov. 20-22 for the first time in team history. "Our team knew the importance of this series not just for our position in the division standings but possibly to face Missoula in the finals at the end of the season," coach John Olver said. "We responded well and this is a big psychological boost for our team," Olver said. Idaho's Sergei Pysarenko of the Ukraine continues his hold as the WSHL's third ranked goal tender with a win -loss record of 14-3 and .939 save percentage. {Eom b, Jahn S,da Idaho Junior Steelhead goaltender Austin Althaus focuses on a puck about to be fired by Missoula Mauler Paige Maul during Saturdays game in Missoula. Latvian Junior Steelheads forward Nikita Zgirskis is in the league's top 30 players and highest goal scorer for Idaho with 27 goals and 25 assists. Idaho (30-6-0-1) travels to Utah for a two -game series against the Ogden Mustangs this weekend. The Junior Steelheads return to home ice to face off against the Lake Tahoe Icemen Feb. 12-14 at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. IDAHO 4, MISSOULA 2 Idaho came from behind to beat the Maulers, 5-2, at Missoula on Friday night at Glacier Ice Rink. The Maulers were up 1-0 after the first period and then 2-0 early in the second period. Junior Steelheads forward Hunter Lester of Boise got Idaho on the scoreboard with a goal with about five minutes left in the second period. The Junior Steelheads went on a scoring spree with back-to-back goals scored by Parker Lewis and Tyler Berndt in the final two minutes to push past the Maulers, 3-2, at the end of the second stanza. Zgirskis and Jack York of Boise's scored Idaho's fourth and fifth goals about a minutes apart to close the door on Missoula at the end of the final period. Pysarenko stopped 24 of the Maulers 25 attempts to score while Idaho tallied 39 shots on goal. IDAHO 1, MISSOULA 0 Idaho's Connor Hoernlein scored the lone goal of the game to give the Junior Steelheads its second game victory on Saturday at Missoula. "This entire season our defense has been the strong point of our team," Olver said. "They kept us in this series." Idaho goal tender Austin Althaus recorded the shutout game victory, stopping all 16 of Missoula's attempts to score. The Junior Steelheads made 35 shots on goal. IDAHO 2, MISSOULA 1 Kyle TenEyck and Macky Power scored Idaho's two goals to defeat Missoula, 2-1, for the win and three -game series sweep on Sunday. TenEyck scored a short-handed goal during a Maulers power play with just over two minutes left in the first period. Power then scored what would end up to be the game - winning goal just under seven minutes into the second period. BLACK AND BLUE BATTLE Photo fa M Sta N.., by Gary Sm Rickard Lindstrom of Sweden, right, skating for the University of Idaho, competes for space on the ice on Friday with Matt Sanford of Boise State University during the Black and Blue Hockey series at Manchester Ice and Event Centre last weekend. BSU beat Idaho, 7-2, on Friday night in front of 65o fans and completed the sweep on Saturday night, 7-1, in front of a capacity crowd of goo spectators. The Junior Steelheads held on to its 2-0 lead until about 6 minutes left in the third period when Missoula scored its lone goal. http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 2/4/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 2 of 2 Pysarenko earned the win stopping 26 of the Maulers 27 attempts to find the back of the net. Idaho had 29 shots on goal. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 2/4/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 2 Junior Steelheads split games at Ogden, return home to face Tahoe BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads split a two -game series against Western States Hockey League rival Ogden Mustangs on the road last weekend. Idaho lost 7-2 on Friday to the Mustangs but came back on Saturday to win, 5-1. It seemed everything Ogden shot went in," head coach John Olver said of Friday's game. The Junior Steelheads face off against the Lake Tahoe Icemen for a four -game series during Presidents Day weekend. The Junior Steelheads won both games played on the Icemen's home ice in October. The puck drops at 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. The puck then drops at 2 p.m. on Monday for a game that could not be played at Tahoe due to ice problems. Idaho (31-7-0-1) continues to hold its number -one standing in the WSHL's Northwest Division. Junior Steelhead Sergei Pisarenko of Russia remains the number one goaltender in the WSHL with a 15-3 win -loss record and .941 save percentage OGDEN 7, IDAHO 2 The Mustangs jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first period and never looked back during its 7-2 win over Idaho on Friday at the Weber County Ice Sheet. The Junior Steelheads were down 4-0 in through most of the second period when Olver made a goalie change and put in Pisarenko for starting goaltender Austin Althaus. Ogden scored its fifth goal and Olver again switched Althaus back into the game later in the second period. "Much of our team was battling the flu, including both our goaltenders," Olver said. "We had lots of chances but just couldn't finish our shots." Idaho finally got on the scoreboard with less than three minutes left in the second period with a goal scored by Oleg Losev. TOP: Junior Steelhead Alexander xnutsson (27) steals the puck from Ogden's Chandler Watson while Trier Berndt (12) scuffles with Watson Friday's game in Ogden. LEFT: Junior Steelhead Jack Pierson (17) checks Mustang Corey Lapalucci into the boards during Friday's contest. PhD. by sure Buser u Ogden was up another goal, 6-1, when newcomer forward Axel Meurling of Sweden scored for Idaho in the middle of the third period. Ogden had 38 shots on goal compared to Idaho's 40 attempts to score. IDAHO 5, OGDEN 1 A re -focused Junior Steelheads team came back to win game two, 5-1, on Saturday at Ogden. Idaho lead 1-0 after Zach Biebuyck scored and Losev gave the Junior Steelheads a 2-0 lead. The Mustangs lit the lamp for its lone goal but Idaho responded with goals from Colton Fletcher and Meurling to extend its lead, 4-1, at the end of the second period. Sweden's Alex Knutsson capped the effort for the Idaho team with a final goal scored with about two minutes left to play. Pisarenko stopped 29 of Ogden's 30 attempts to score, while Idaho had 40 shots on goal. THREE NEW PLAYERS Meurling joined the Junior Steelheads after a run of 21 points in his last nine games for the Tampa Bay Juniors of the USPHL Elite Division. Overall, Meuring played 37 games for the Juniors, notching 11 goals and 26 assists to average a point a game. Also joining the team is defenseman Denis Galushka, from Moscow, Russia, who is already age 20 and has played 28 games this season for MHK Zelenograd of the MHL B league with a goal and five assists. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 2/ 11 /2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 2 of 2 Also recently joining the team is goaltender Josh Giesbrecht from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Giesbrecht started the year with the Colorado Yetis of the Rocky Mountain Hockey League. The Yetis are based in Grand Junction, Colo., the home town of Junior Steelheads owner Darrell Swigert. http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 2/ 11 /2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Junior Steelheads rout short-handed Tahoe in four -game sweep Every player posts goals or assists in scoring explosion BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads mounted a four -game rout of an undermanned Tahoe Icemen team last weekend in McCall. Friday night the Junior Steelheads opened the weekend with a 11-1 win. Saturday night the score was 13-1 and Sunday night was the most lopsided, with Idaho on top 17-0. The Junior Steelheads pasted a 14-3 victory Monday afternoon in a game was a make-up for the game cancelled in South Lake Tahoe in October. The Junior Steelheads, now leading the Northwest Division with a 35-7-1 record, will host the Seattle Totems in McCall in a three game series this weekend. Game limes at Manchester Ice and Event Centre are 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. With the series, the Junior Steelheads padded their scoring production with 55 goals, elevating their season average to 6.33 goals per game. Phna ry The Sias -Neon by GM' Fier Junior Steelhead Zach Walden finds the net past Tahoe Iceman goalie Tymen 6delkoort III during the second period of Saturday's game in McCall. The league's stingiest defense allowed Tahoe only five goals in the four games, decreasing their average to 1.58 per game. The Icemen were short-staffed to begin the series, as several players needed to return to their homes, several were injured, and an anticipated goaftender obtained in trade had not reported. During the series, the Tahoe team saw an injury to goaltender Chad Phillipsen, leaving only Jackson Brown to play Monday's game, and the departure of defenseman Edgar Gonzalez to a USPHL team in Atlanta. Goaltender Austin Althaus started all four games for Idaho and had to make only 34 saves to get the four wins. Althaus was replaced in three of the games by newcomer Josh Giesbrecht of Winnipeg, Manitoba, who made nine saves in his first appearances of the season. Netminder Sergei Pisarenko, who leads the league with a 1.34 goals against average and a .941 save percentage, was unavailable to the Junior Steelheads for the weekend. Losev Gets 14 Every healthy and available Idaho skater eamed points, led by winger Oleg Losev's 14 points. Losev, of Moscow, Russia, had hat tricks both Sunday night and Monday, notched a total of seven goals and picked up assists in all four games totaling seven. Colton Fletcher and Thomas Zitz had four goals and seven assists each. Nikita Zgirskis also had 11 points, earned on two goals and nine assists. Macky Power had eight assists spread over all four games, and garnered two goals for a total of 10 points. Defenseman Denis Galushka was called on to play a winger position on Monday, something he had never done in a game in his career, and he responded with three goals and three assists. For the weekend, the newcomer from Moscow, Russia, got his first nine points as a Junior Steelhead. Winger Jack Pierson had the best weekend of his Idaho career. The resident of Livonia, Mich., had three goals and assists in all tour games totaling five, for eight points. Co -captain Kyle Williams scored a Saturday night hat trick, added two more goals, and two more assists for seven points. Cory McClintick notched three goals and four assists to also capture seven points. Tyler Berndt, Alex Knutsson, Axel Meurling, and Zach Walden each registered six points. Berndt had a Friday night hat trick, two goals on Saturday, and an assist on Monday for his six. Meurling potted four goals and had two assists. Knutsson and Walden had three goals and three assists apiece. Jack York, Pontus Blom, and Kyle TenEyck each had a four -point weekend. Co -captain Dmitris Jones and Parker Lewis chimed in with three points apiece. Zack Biebuyck had probably the most spectacular goal of the weekend on Saturday night. The Nampa resident skated the length of the ice and then deked the goaltender to score. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 2/18/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Junior Steelheads sweep Seattle, hit the road to end regular season BY KYLA SAWYER for The Stu -News Team captain Kyle Williams scored five goals and made four assists to lead the Idaho Junior Steelheads during its three -game series sweep over the Seattle Totems at McCall last weekend. Idaho blasted the Totems, 7-1 on Friday, 9-0 for Saturday and 7-2 on Sunday for its final regular season home games at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. The victories moved the Junior Steelheads one step closer to clinching the Northwest Division title of the Westem States Hockey League. The team has already earned a first round bye in the playoffs, and will host a second round series March 18-20. The Junior Steelheads (38-7-0-1) will hit the road this weekend to play a three game series against the Northwest Division's third place Vancouver Rangers. Idaho then travels to take on Montana's Butte Cobras March 4-6 to end regular season play. IDAHO 7, SEATTLE 1 PMo far the SW -New. by Crary Lva Junior Steelhead Kyle Williams (26) gets reads' to check Seattle's Josh Lindsay (24) during Frida)'s game in McCall. Williams lit the lamp twice during Idaho's 7-1 routing of the Seattle Totems with about 300 hockey fans watching at McCall on Friday. The Junior Steelheads took a 3-0 lead after the first period with goals from Kyle TenEyck, Macky Power and Williams. The Totems scored its lone goal at the top of the second period. Idaho's Oleg Losev answered with a goal for a score of 4-1 at the end of the second period. Williams got his second goal of the night with Zgirskis and Colton Fletcher each chipping in a goal apiece for the 7-1 win. IDAHO 9, SEATTLE 0 Idaho shut out Seattle 9-0 with about 400 cheering McCall fans for game two of the series on Saturday night. The Junior Steelheads let 1-0 after the first and were up 7-0 at the end of the second period. Zgirskis, Lester and Zitz each found the back of the net twice for Idaho. Lewis and new defenseman Denis Galushka from Russia each scored a goal to round out the shut -out victory. Goalie Sergei Pisarenko eamed the shut -out win. IDAHO 7, SEATTLE 2 Williams scored two goals as part of the 7-2 win and the three -game series sweep over the Totems with about 200 hockey fans watching on Sunday. Idaho was up 5-0 after the first period with two goals by Meurling and a score each from Fletcher, Williams and Power. Williams scored again early in the second period. Galushka shut the door on Seattle with the final goal. New Junior Steelheads goalie Joshua Giesbrecht of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada earned the win, stopping 15 of Seattle's 17 shots. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 2/25/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 2 Junior Steelheads sweep Vancouver, clinch NW division title Idaho to travel to Butte this weekend to end regular season BY KYLA SAWYER and DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads captured its sixth consecutive division title with a three -game series sweep of the Vancouver Rangers on the road last weekend. Idaho cemented the title for the Northwest Division of the Western States Hockey League with 47 wins, seven losses and one overtime loss so far this season. The Junior Steelheads will wrap up the regular -season schedule with a three -game series against the Butte Cobras at Montana this weekend. The defending Thorne Cup champions have earned a bye for the first week of the Northwest Division playoffs. Idaho will have home -ice advantage for the division semi-finals scheduled for March 18-20. Idaho net -minder Sergei Pisarenko of Moscow, Russia, remains the number one ranked goaltender for the WSHL with a 17-3 record and .941 save percentage. IDAHO 5, VANCOUVER 2 Run b> mdt,Aoc.ote Idaho Junior Steelheads Alex Knutsson (27) hustles for the puck during Fridays game against the Vancouver Rangers in Vancouver, Wash_ TheJunior Steelheads held a 3-1 lead after the second period and never looked back during its 5-2 routing of the Rangers on Friday at Mountain View Ice Arena in Vancouver, Wash. Sweden's Alex Knutsson lit the lamp late in the first period, and Idaho went up 2-0 early in the second period with a goal scored by captain Kyle Williams. Vancouver got on the scoreboard with its first goal mid -way into the second period, followed by Sweden's Pontus Blom landing Idaho's third goal for 3-1 lead. The Rangers scored their last goal for the game halfway into the third period, and Idaho answered with goals from Dimitri Jones and Latvian veteran forward Nikita Zgirskis. IDAHO 4, VANCOUVER 2 After a scoreless first period on Saturday, Boise's Zach Biebuyck found the back of the net for the Junior Steelheads. Vancouver pushed in a goal to tie the game 1-1 at the end of the second period. Swedish player Alex Meurling gave Idaho the go-ahead goal early in the third period and Cory McClintick scored less than 20 seconds later. Zgirskis sealed the Rangers' fate with an unassisted goal with barely over a minute left in regulation. IDAHO 5, VANCOUVER 2 Veteran forward Macky Power scored two goals for Idaho's 5-2 win on Sunday. Power scored twice in the first period to give the Junior Steelheads a 2-0 lead. Blom landed Idaho's third goal before the Rangers landed one in the net. Tyler Bemdt sailed in a goal for Idaho to end the second period at 4-1. Vancouver scored early in the third period but couldn't get past Idaho's defense the rest of the game. Losev closed the door on the Rangers with a fifth goal and 5-2 victory. POWER BECOMES ALL-TIME GOAL. LEADER Macky Power has become the all-time Idaho Junior Steelheads leader in both goals and total points in his third full season with the team. Power, originally from Altoona, Penn., but whose family has moved to Boise during his Junior Steelheads tenure, had 70 goals and 96 assists for 166 points prior to last weekend's series in Vancouver, Wash. The 70 goals surpasses the 68 achieved by forward Nathan Stanley and the 166 points eclipses the 163 points earned by forward Stephan Brucato. Power's 96 assists are now second only to Brucato's career total of 107. Power, who will celebrate his 21 st birthday on Saturday, joined the Junior Steelheads during the 2013- 14 season. JONES PLAYS IN MOST GAMES FOR IJS http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 3/3/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 2 of 2 Idaho Junior Steelheads co -captain Dimitris Jones has become the team's all time leader in games played. The Feb. 21 contest in McCall against Seattle was Jones' 130th in an Idaho uniform, breaking the mark of 129 set by defenseman Kevin Lassen, also a three-year Idaho Junior Steeihead. Jones, a defenseman from Normandy Park, Wash., first joined the Junior Steelheads In the 2013-14 season, TENEYCK ALL-TIME PENALTY LEADER Kyle TenEyck, a center from Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., has become the all-time leader in career penalty minutes for the Idaho Junior Steelheads. With 118 minutes in penalties through the Seattle series earlier this month, TenEyck had amassed 355 minutes in 128 games over the three seasons he has been with the team. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 3/3/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Junior Steelheads finish regular season with 3-game sweep Butte Idaho team gets a week's rest before start of WSHL playoffs RY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads wrapped up the 2015-16 regular season with a three -game sweep, 6-0, 13-0 and 6-1, on the road against Montana's Butte Cobras last weekend. As the number one team in the Northwest Division of the Western States Hockey League, Idaho has a bye for this week's playoffs but will host the division semi-finals at McCall on March 18-20 against an opponent to be determined this weekend. "In the past we've known if we kept winning we would keep playing on home ice," head coach John Olver said. Ukrainian Sergei Pisarenko won the regular -season title among WSHL goal tenders with a 19-3 record and .944 save percentage. Latvian veteran forward Nikita Zgirskis finished the regular season in 19th place among WSHL point - scorers with 38 goals and 39 assists to lead all Idaho players. IDAHO 6, BUTTE 0 Boise's Hunter Lester scored two goals to help the Junior Steelheads squash the Cobras, 6-0 at Butte on Friday. Idaho was up 1-0 after the first period with a goal by Lester assisted by Tacoma, Wash., native Zach Walden and Normandy Park, Wash., team co -captain Dimitris Jones. Walden and forward Tyler Berndt of Fond du lac, Wisc., each found the back of the net for a score of 3-0 at the end of the second period. Lester lit the lamp early in the third period for his second goal of the night along with scores from Boise's Cory McClintick and co -captain Kyle Williams of Sharpsville, Penn., to shut out Butte, 6-0. Idaho made 37 shots on goal. Pisarenko stopped all 18 of the Cobras attempts to score. IDAHO 13, BUTTE 0 Williams lead the Junior Steelheads with a hat trick three goals during Idaho's 13-0 crushing win against the Cobras during Saturday's game two at Butte. The Junior Steelheads jumped out with a 4-0 lead after the first period. Idaho pounded the Cobra net with six more goals to stay well out in front, 10-0 after the second stanza. Zgirskis scored two goals and had two assists. Lester, Jones, TenEyck, Losev, Knutsson, Thomas Zitz and Parker Lewis each chipped in goals for the final 13-0 shut out win. Idaho goal tender Austin Althaus earned the victory stopping all 22 of the Cobras attempts to score. The Junior Steelheads had 48 shots on goal. IDAHO 6, BUTTE 1 Zgirskis kept Idaho out in front with two goals for a 6-1 win and three -game series sweep over the Cobras at Butte for Sunday's final game. Butte scored its lone goal early in the first period. Idaho answered with goals from Zgirskis and Biebuyck to take over the lead, 2-1 after the first period. Boise's Jack York sailed in a score between the pipes for a 3-1 lead at the end of the second period. Walden, Zgirskis and McClintick added a goal apiece to seal the 6-1 victory. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 3/10/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Quest For The Cup Junior Steelheads begins WSHL playoffs this weekend at home sus. Whitefish "This is nol a team we can take lightly." —John Olver BY KW,A SAWYER for The Star -News It will be deja vu this weekend as the Idaho Junior Steelheads begin their guest for a fifth Thorne Cup championship against Montana's Whitefish Wolverines in a best -of -three series at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. The two teams faced off at this same time last year at McCall. Idaho won in two games, 9-0 and 6-2, to go on to the Northwest Division championships and eventual fourth Western States Hockey League title. The puck drops at 7 p.m. for Friday and Saturday's semi-final contests. If a third game is needed, teams will play at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are on sale at Paul's Market and the rink. Adults cost $9, tickets students ages 13-17 and seniors ages 65 and older cost $5, and children 12 and under are free. The Junior Steelheads (44-7-0-1) finished first in the Northwest Division and had a bye for last week's first round of play-offs. Whitefish (20-31-0-8) took fifth place in the division and defeated the fourth -place Vancouver Rangers in two games, 6-1 and 6-5, last weekend to earn the series against Idaho. Idaho is 6-0 against the Wolverines this season and the Junior Steelheads enters the Thorne Cup divisional contest as the number two ranked team in the WSHL. Tough Series That said, Idaho head coach John Olver is expecting a tough series against Whitefish. "I think we've got our hands full," Olver said. "This is not a team we can take lightly." "They have a coach who does an excellent job preparing his team; they've (Whitefish) continued to improve all season and they seem to be peaking at the right time," Olver said. The Wolverines had several players out for injuries when the two teams faced off earlier this season. Since then Whitefish has brought in new players and have evolved into a more physical team creating lots of scoring opportunities, Olver said. Against Vancouver, Whitefish had over 60 shots on goal in an overtime game. "Vancouver was out -played and we had to work against the Rangers when we played them a couple of weeks ago," Olver said. If Idaho wins this weekend's series against the Wolverines, McCall will host either the Northwest Division's number -two seeded Missoula Maulers or third -seed Southem Oregon Spartans for the Northwest Division Championships, March 25-27. The Maulers and Spartans play this weekend at Missoula. If the Junior Steelheads continue to win, they would battle for the WSHL conference championships against the number one teams from the Western, Mountain and Mid -West divisions at a location to -be - determined, April 1-3. The Thorne Cup Championship will begin April 8 with a best -of -five series. Idaho won the Thorne Cup championship in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 3/ 17/2016 Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of l Junior Steelheads destroy Whitefish, advance in WSHL playoffs BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News Nikita "Ziggy" Zgirskis scored two goals and landed eight assists to help the Idaho Junior Steelheads blast past the Whitefish Wolverines for a two -game series sweep last weekend. The 7-0 and 15-1 thrashing advanced the Junior Steelheads in the Western States Hockey League's playoffs in the quest for a fifth Thorne Cup championship. "I think we did well," said Zgirskis, who is from Riga, Latvia, and the team's leading scorer. "Everyone played well and we will win against Missoula next week - there's no other option," he said. The Junior Steelheads (46-7-0-1) take on the second - seeded Missoula Maulers (38-12-0-2) for the Northwest Division championship at Manchester Ice and Event Centre this weekend. Idaho had split its regular season series, 3-3 with Missoula. Both teams have won three games on each other's home ice. The puck drops at 7 p.m. for Friday and Saturday's division finals contest. If a third game is needed, the teams will meet at 4 p.m. on Sunday. PM. nra.-N,.M G,E.a. Junior Steelheads Hunter Lester (22) and Jack York (4) celebrate their playoff win over whitefish in McCall Saturday night. The winner will advance to play either the Valencia Flyers or Long Beach Bombers who face off this weekend to determine the Western Division champion. If Valencia wins, Idaho would travel to Valencia to continue its Thorne Cup quest. If Long Beach defeats Valencia, then Idaho will host the Bombers for a best -of -three series starting April 1 at McCall. Idaho goal tender Sergei Pisarenko continues to dominate the WSHL playoff standing with 20 wins and three losses and a 94.6 percent save rate. http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 3/24/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Junior Steelheads rack up 22 goals in two games to sweep Whitefish in WSHL playoffs BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads dominated the Whitefish Wolverines last weekend in McCall to advance to the next round of the Westem States Hockey League playoffs. IDAHO 7, WHITEFISH 0 Hunter Lester, Kyle Williams and Pontus Blom scored two goals each as the Junior Steelheads cruised to a 7-0 win over the Woverines in front of about 400 McCall hockey fans on Friday. Idaho got off to a fast start with three goals from Alex Knutsson, Lester and Williams for a first period 3-0 lead. Lester knocked in his second goal of the game. Blom scored on a power play goal as the Junior Steelheads lead dominated 5-0 after the second period. Williams scored his second goal and Blom scored again for Idaho on a power play to seal the Woverines fate and a 7-0 win for the Junior Steelheads. Anm foe Dr Snr-News by Gay Fiore Junior Steelheads Alex Knuttson (27) and Tech Biebuyck (B) try to take away the pick from Wolverines Booker Chacalias 06) during Saturday's game in McCall. Both teams tried hard to stay out of the penalty box and combined for just 12 minutes in penalties. Idaho goal tender Sergei Pisarenko made 14 saves in posting the shutout IDAHO 15, WHITEFISH 1 Nikita'Ziggy" Zgirskis, Tyler Bemdt, Oleg Losev and Macky Power scored two goals each during the Junior Steelheads 15-1 blowout over Whitefish with about 450 cheering hockey fans watching at McCall on Saturday. Idaho dominated play from the start with a 5-0 lead after the first period thanks to goals by Lester, Connor Hoernlein, Bemdt, Losev and Zgirskis. The Junior Steelheads were up 8-0 with two scores by Knutsson and one from Kyle TenEyck before Whitefish lit the lamp for its lone goal against Idaho in the two -game series. Power and Cory McClintick answered with a goal apiece to extend Idaho's lead, 10-1. Meurling, Berndt, TenEyck, Zgirskis and Losev each scored in the third period and buried the Wolverines with a 15-1 victory. Zgirskis again made four assists for the night. Losev and Knutsson each had three assists and defenseman Jack York made two assists. Idaho goal tender Austin Althaus stopped 15 of Whitefish's 16 attempts to score. The Junior Steelheads had 30 shots on goal. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 3/24/2016 Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of 1 Survive & Advance Junior Steelheads needed two OTs to defeat Maulers in WSHL playoffs BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News Kyle Williams scored both game -winning goals in overtime to lead the Idaho Junior Steelheads through a tough, two -game series over the Missoula Maulers last weekend in McCall. The wins captured the Westem States Hockey League's Northwest Division Championship for the Junior Steelheads, the reigning Thorne Cup champions Idaho won in sudden death overtime, 2-1, on Friday and again 5-4, in overtime on Saturday. "It was an intense battle and a nail -biter for sure," head coach John Diver said. "One minute we had a lead and then the next thing we're in an overtime situation both nights fighting for our lives," Diver said. "If we have a chance to win and go all the way it's because of how well we've had to be prepared to play Missoula," he said. The Junior Steelheads (48-7-0-1) take on the Westem Division Champions Long Beach Bombers (43-10-0-3) for the Pacific Conference finals at Manchester Ice and Event Centre this weekend. eboso fv'I6e Sm-News by Gary Erma' Junior Steelheads Axel Mending scores a goal in the second period of Saturday's game against Missoula goalie Noah Parker. The puck drops at 7 p.m. for Friday and Saturdays' games. If a third game is needed the teams will meet at 4 p.m. on Sunday. If Idaho beats Long Beach they will face either the Mid -western Division champions Oklahoma City or the Mountain Division winners Colorado Eagles for the Thorne Cup championship. Oklahoma and Colorado face off in the semi-finals this weekend. Long Beach finished in second place in the WSHL's Westem Division at the end of the regular season. Long Beach won the Western Division title with an upset win in two games, 2-0, and in overtime, 4-3, over first place finishers the Valencia Flyers last weekend. The Bombers are led by Anders Romegard, who has scored 47 goals in 55 games and contributed 43 assists as well. Long Beach protects its net with goal -tender Daniel Komakker, who has given up a stingy 80 goals on 1,044 shots for a 92 percent save rate. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 3/31/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Junior Steelheads defeat Missoula in back-to-back OT thrillers Defending Thorne Cup champions head to next round BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News Extra time was needed both nights, but the Idaho Junior Steelheads were able to advance in the Western States Hockey League playoffs last weekend against the Missoula Maulers. The Junior Steelheads will host the San Diego Bombers this weekend for the right to play in the Thome Cup finals. SATURDAY IDAHO 5, MISSOULA 4 - OT About 650 hockey fans were on their feet when Kyle Williams scored the game winning goal about three minutes into the sudden death overtime period at McCall on Saturday. Assisted by Pontus Blom and Dimitris Jones, Williams' second goal of the game gave the Junior Steelheads a 5-4 win and two game series sweep over the Maulers at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. reem ry The smske. W cry Freer Junior Steelhead Parker Lewis, left, gets hit by Missoula's Marten Ekstrom during Saturday's game. Williams put Idaho on the scoreboard on a power play goal in the first period assisted by Jones and Oleg Losev. Missoula scored four minutes later to tie the game but Junior Steelhead Nikita Zgirskis landed a goal late in the first period with help from Hunter Lester and Williams for a 2-1 lead. Missoula came out swinging in the second and scored eary to again tie the game 2-2. Forward Thomas Zitz gave Idaho some much -needed momentum with a go-ahead goal assisted by Parker Lewis and Zach Walden. Alex Meurling fired in a fourth goal for the Junior Steelheads assisted by Williams and Jones as the team looked unstoppable with a 4-2 lead mid -way through the second period. However Missoula took advantage of Idaho mistakes and quickly devoured its two -goal deficit with back-to-back goals. Junior Steelheads fans stood in shock as the Maulers tied the game 4-4 with seconds left in the second period. "We had a couple of miscues," head coach John Olver said. "However I'm proud of how our team responded because we didn't quit - we stuck with it and didn't give up." The score remained tied through the third period, forcing the 20 minute sudden -death overtime. Williams found an opening and scored about three minutes into the extra period, sending the crowd to its feet in celebration. Idaho goal tender Austin Althaus stopped 26 of Missoula's 30 shots, while the Junior Steelheads had 48 shots on goal. FRIDAY IDAHO 2, MISSOULA 1 - OT Williams scored the overtime winning goal during Friday's 2-1 victory with about 400 hockey fans watching on Friday. After a scoreless first and second periods, Idaho's Macky Power sailed in a goal assisted by Dimitris Jones and Cory McClintick early in the third period. The battle continued until the Maulers pulled goalie Noah Parker with less than two minutes left in regulation play. With a six -on -five advantage, Missoula scored with just over 90 seconds left on the clock to tie the game 1-1 and force a 20 minute sudden death overtime period, After 12 minutes in overtime, the Junior Steelheads found themselves in a power play after a Missoula player received a tripping penalty. With a five -on -four advantage, Williams found a hole and scored, assisted by Oleg Losev, to win the game. Idaho goal tender Sergei Pisarenko stopped 22 of 23 Mauler shots, while the Junior Steelheads had 30 shots on goal. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 3/31 /2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Williams scores both OT winners while parents from Penn. watch from stands "In the seven years I've been in this league, I haven't seen a better leader or captain. "— John Olver BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News Kyle Williams was thrilled to be the hero in both overtime games for the Idaho Junior Steelhead last weekend, if for no other reason than to do It in front of his parents. Williams, a third -year veteran forward, scored both game -winning overtime goals during Friday and Saturday's battles against the Missoula Maulers at McCall. it was life or death out there and I didn't want my season to end," said Williams, a co - captain of the team who is playing his final year with the Idaho team. Kyle WilliamsAdding to the thrill of the weekend was the fact that his parents, Mark and Shelly Williams, had traveled from Sharpsville, Penn., to watch their son and his hockey team defeat the Maulers for the WSHL's Northwest Division title. "He plays the same, all the time, with heart," Mark Williams said. "We can see that the people of McCall love the team and love him," Shelly Williams said. His desire to win sets Williams apart from the other players, head coach John Olver said. "In the seven years I've been in this league, I haven't seen a better leader or captain," Olver said. "Kyle leads us in so many ways, and then on top of that to get the game winners two nights in a row is just a testament to his character, his will and tenacity to never quit." Williams missed 15 games during the 2015-16 regular season due to two concussions. This season, he suffered some minor injuries and had hip pain that caused him to miss 12 games. Despite his injuries, Williams has scored 29 goals and tallied 34 assists this season, an average of 1.43 goals per game. "I'm just trying to do my job playing for the team and want the best outcome to come out on top; Williams said. At age 20, he will be ineligible to play for the Junior Steelheads next year under WSHL age rules. "We all want to step our games up when its playoffs," he said. "We all want to end on a positive note." http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 3/31 /2016 Star -News News Lead Story Page Page 1 of 1 Never gets old Junior Steelheads defeat Long Beach to advance to WSHL Thorne Cup finals...again BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads hockey team is headed to its sixth straight Thome Cup finals after winning a hard-fought series versus the Long Beach Bombers during the Pacific Conference Championships last weekend in McCall. The defending Western States Hockey League champions weathered questionable calls and intense action on the ice to win on Friday, 2-0, then capture the deciding game in overtime, 3-2 on Saturday at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. The victory eamed the Junior Steelheads the Pacific Conference Championship. Idaho (50-7-0-1) will now face the Colorado Junior Eagles in the best -of -five game Thome Cup series. Colorado (47-9-0-2) calls Fort Collins, Colo., home and will host the first two games at NoCo Ice Arena next weekend. The series will move to McCall on April 15 with additional games on April 16-17 as needed. The Junior Steelheads won the Thome Cup in 2011, 2012, 2013 and last year. The Junior Eagles team is just two years old and clinched the Western States Hockey League's Plains Conference championship after defeating the Oklahoma City Blazers in overtime to win two -out -of three games last weekend. Phew for The Sur -News by Gary Etter daho team members acknowledge the crowd after winning the series Saturday night. From left are Axel Meurling, Colton Fletcher, Tech Biebuyck, Thomas Zitz and Alex Knutsson. Colorado finished number one in the Mountain Division in the regular season and in the playoffs The Junior Steelheads lost its only match -up against the Eagles, 2-1, during December's WSHL Las Vegas Showcase. 'We can't get too high and we can't get to low, our job now is to just keep playing," coach John Diver said. "Don't underplay the importance of being in McCall, home ice is a big advantage for us." The Junior Eagles are led by Riley Roberts, who is currently second in the WSHL scoring column with 68 goals and 54 assists. Not far behind Roberts is Mac Colasimone with 27 goals and 79 assists to rank eighth overall in the league In goal for the Junior Eagles is Austin Piquette, who has allowed only 69 goals on 843 shots for a 91.8 percent save rate. Piquette's backup, Steven Taylor, has allowed 38 goals on 401 shots for a 90 percent save rate. Colorado had to travel for the entire playoffs series as punishment for violating league rules, WSHL President and Commissioner Ron White said. "There were other teams that were found guilty and are under review, however those teams did not make the playoffs," White said. "When our board of directors meets in May those teams will be under review for disciplinary action." White would not comment to The Star -News on the exact number of teams under review or the specifics of the rule violations. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 4/7/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Saturday OT win boosts Junior Steelheads over Bombers to Thorne Cup finals "You just do the right things and hope one goes in and that's what we got." Dimitri Jones BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News An unassisted goal by Dimitri Jones five minutes into sudden -death overtime Saturday had more than 600 cheering fans on their feet for the 3-2 victory and two -games series sweep by the Idaho Junior Steelheads over the Long Beach Bombers in McCall last weekend. The winning point was scored when Jones' shot from the left deflected off a Long Beach defenseman's skate and into the Bombers' goal. "Those are the type of goals you score in overtime playoff hockey," Jones said. "They're not pretty, teyre not skillful — you just do the right things and hope one goes in and that's what we got." Idaho got the lead, 1-0, with a power play goal scored by co -captain Kyle Williams assisted by Nikita Zgirskis and Parker Lewis with just over a minute left in the first period. Long Beach tied the game, 1-1, early in the second period. The Junior Steelheads took back the lead, 2-1 on a power play goal by Oleg Losev assisted by Jones last in the second period. Peon for The Sm.Ne. M Gay Eryta Junior Steelhead Nikita Zigirskis (to) moves the puck around the back of the net while tong Beach players try to stop him during Saturdays game in McCall. The Bombers forced the overtime with a short-handed goal, 2-2, with five minutes left in the third period. Idaho goal tender Sergei Pisarenko eamed his second win of the two -game series against Long Beach with 23 saves. FRIDAY: IDAHO 2, LONG BEACH 0 Jones and Williams scored the Junior Steelheads' two goals during its 2-0 shut out with about 400 hockey fans in the stands for game one against Long Beach on Friday. After a scoreless first period, Jones sailed in a shot assisted by Macky Power to give Idaho the 1-0 lead halfway in to the second period. Williams sealed the Bombers' fate with a short-handed goal in a three -on -four Long Beach power play seven minutes Into the third period. The Bombers failed to find the back of the net before time ran out. Pisarenko made 29 saves and eamed his 11th shut out of the season. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 4/7/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Jones draws on captain's skills to lift Junior Steelheads over Bombers BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News Faced with a sudden -death overtime against the Long Beach Bombers Saturday night, Dimitris Jones had a clear vision for what needed to take place before his team when back on the ice. "As a captain I said we're going to batten down the hatches and pull this together and we'll win as a team," said Jones, 20 who is a co -captain and a third -year veteran defenseman. Despite questionable calls from officials and an Intense atmosphere surrounding the entire game, Jones' unassisted overtime zinger came just over five minutes into the fourth period. With the poise of a veteran, Jones' shot at the net was deflected off the skate of a Long Beach player and past the Bombers' goal tender for the win. "One of our trademarks for this team is we stay very disciplined, whether it's how we play or when it comes to chippie talk from the other team," Jones said. First -year Idaho goal tender Sergei Pisarenko was in the net both Friday and Saturday for the Junior Steelheads. The 20-year old Odessa, Ukraine native earned his 11th shut -out victory, 2-0 on Friday. Pisarenko has been ranked the WSHL's number one goalie most of the season, saving 93 percent of shots. "Our team played phenomenal and we proved we deserve to go to finals," Pisarenko said. "We plan to just keep doing what we're doing and go on to the next opponent," Jones said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 4/7/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 WSHL commissioner puts on the fan jacket to root for son's team BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News WSHL President and Commissioner Ron White was crystal clear about what team he was rooting for last weekend during the Thorne Cup semi-finals between the Idaho Junior Steelheads and Long Beach Bombers. "1'm wearing only one hat tonight," said White, whose son, Chris, is the head coach for Long Beach. White also has served as chief executive officer of the Bomber Hockey Group for the last 16 years. Ron White Dressed in his black Bombers jacket outside the Long Beach locker room. White seemed pleased with the series during an interview between the second and third periods of Saturday night's game at McCall. "It's been a good game," White said. "It's close, it's rough, it's tough, it's fast so you know no one can afford to make a mistake." Overall White said he has been pleased with this year's WSHL Thome Cup playoff series. The WSHL had 29 teams compete in its four Western, Northwest, Mountain and Mid-westem divisions this season. Only the top two teams in each area advanced to the best two -out -of -three game series. "The whole playoffs from the second week on has been very competitive," White said. "Last weekend we had ten games played with six in overtime and eight of the 10 games had a one -goal difference." This is the second year the WSHL moved to a playoff format similar to the National Hockey League. "It allows more games to be played and it's also more expensive," White said. "Conceivably its two extra trips now for some teams and a trip can run $15,000 to $20,000 trip Including travel, food and hotels," he said. Whether the WSHL will keep the existing playoff format remains to be determined. The WSHL will hold its annual board of directors meeting in May, he said. Mu Lury Mcnce Nina Bracht-Bedell of Cade climbs the wall at Boise State University. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 4/7/2016 Star -News News Lead Story Page Page 1 of 1 Five - Oh My! Junior Steelheads beat Eagles on home we to capture fifth WSHL Thorne Cup title "It's the first year we upset the better team going into the finals." - John Olver BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News The outcome was in doubt until the final buzzer, but the Idaho Junior Steelheads on Friday night won the Westem States Hockey League championship with a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Junior Eagles. Co -captain Kyle Williams scored what would be the game - winning goal with 12:47 left in the third period to send an estimated 700 cheering hockey fans to their feet at Manchester Ice and Event Center in McCall. The Thorne Cup was retained by the Junior Steelheads as their fifth WSHL championship in the team's seven years of existence "This puts the icing on the cake," said Williams, a third year veteran player. "It's my last year of juniors and probably my last year of playing competitive hockey, so it's a bittersweet time for me." Williams, 20, won the Most Valuable Player award for the series after scoring two goals during the deciding game. The Junior Steelheads had won the first two games by a score of 3-2 both nights in the best -of -five series at Ft. Collins, Cob., on April 15-16. Photo ru the Stu -New by Guy F m Junior Steelheads Parker Lewis, left, and Kvle Williams embrace after winning the Thorne Cup title Friday night. Williams was bloodied by a hard hit from a Colorado player near the end of the game. On Friday, the Eagles mounted a fierce comeback from a 4-0 deficit to the game 4-4 with 15:42 left lc play Williams scored his goal three minutes later to give Idaho the 5-4 edge, but Coorado battled hard to try and tie the game and send it to overtime. First Playoffs This was Colorado's first year in the WSHL playoffs and just the third year the Junior Steelheads had been in existence. "It's a winning culture we've created here," coach John Olver said. "I have a lot of respect for the Colorado team, It's the first year in my mind we upset the better team going into the finals." Idaho had 12 returning players this season, with six of those who had been with the team for three years. Olver praised the efforts of first -year Ukrainian goal tender Sergei Pisarenko for the win. "The only reason we won in three games was because of Sergei and his goaltending," Olver said. Pisarenko, 19, started in net for all three of the final Thome Cup games against Colorado and was the WSHL's top goaltender much of the season, stopping 94 percent of opponents' shot. "The Colorado Eagles made an incredible comeback each night but tonight we brought it and proved that we deserve it," Pisarenko said. "It's not about the Thorne Cup Championship or the metals, it's all about team and the people surrounding me and right now I feel like I'm home," he said. The Junior Steelheads ended the season with 53 wins, seven losses and one overtime loss. They were undefeated during the playoffs. http://www.mccallstarriews.com/pages/lead_page.php 4/21 /2016 Star -News News Lead Story Page Page 1 of 1 Fight to the Finish Junior Steelheads hold off Colorado surge to win fifth Thorne Cup, 5-4 BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads started off strong but had to fight off the Colorado Junior Eagles' trademark comeback to win the WSHL Thome Cup, 5-4, with about 700 hockey fans watching at Manchester Ice and Event Centre on Friday. Co -captain and veteran forward Kyle Williams of Sharpsville, Penn. scored a breakaway goal wfth an assist by Wasilla, Alaska's Colton Fletcher as the Junior Steelheads took a 1-0 lead after the first period. Boise's Hunter Lester added a second goal for Idaho assisted by Williams and Latvian forward veteran Nikita Zgirskis early in the second period. Kyle TenEyck of Sault St. Marie, Mich, sailed in a third goal for Idaho with help from Williams and Lester. Colorado, down 3-0, made a goalie change with less than eight minutes let in the second period. The Junior Steelheads looked unstoppable when Boise defenseman Jack York beat the entire Eagles team to the net for an unassisted zinger and gave Idaho a 4-0 lead. But Colorado fought back and as it has done the entire playoffs season and scored two goals within the last four minutes to trail, 4-2 going into the third period. The Eagles soared on the momentum and landed a top shelf goal and snuck another shot past Idaho goalie Sergei Pisarenko just five minutes into the third period. And just like that, the Junior Steelheads and Colorado were locked in a 4-0 tie battle. With the Thorne Cup title in sight, both teams battled for possession. Williams scored the game winning goal assisted by Sweden's Alex Meurling with just less than seven minutes left in regulation play. Twice Colorado pulled its goalie to add an extra sixth man attacker on the ice but Idaho held strong on defense for the win. Pisarenko made 24 saves and the Junior Steelheads had 40 shots on goal. It was the fifth Thome Cup championship for the Junior Steelheads in just seven years of existence. The Junior Steelheads were the defending champions from 2015 and also won the Thome Cup in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Junior Steelheads beat the Eagles in both games held at Fr. Collins last weekend in the best -of - five championship series. The wins were by the same score, 3-2. Idaho went undefeated in the playoffs, take out the Whitefish Wolverines, Missoula Maulers and Long Beach Bombers in two games each to reach the Thorne Cup series. "It all came together for us in the playoffs." coach John Giver said. "We had to overachieve to win our fifth title." http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 4/21 /2016 Star -News News Lead Story Page Page 1 of 1 Light Headed Junior Steelheads color their hair for unity during Thorne Cup play-offr BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News Dimitri Jones was thrilled with Friday's Thorne Cup victory for the Idaho Junior Steelheads, but the team's co -captain had one worry - his hair. Standing on the ice at Manchester Ice and Event Centre after the Junior Steelheads defeated the Colorado Junior Eagles, Jones wasn't sure how to change his blond -dyed hair back to its natural dark color. "Dyeing it back, cutting, shaving — to each his own, but it's coming off tomorrow," said Jones, 20. Most of the Junior Steelheads players had sported the bleached blonde look for the entire playoffs as a show of team unity. The look paid off and Idaho won its fifth Thome Cup title in six years with a nail-biting, 5-4, victory in front of a packed house of home fans. "It's very gratifying this year," said Jones, from Normandy Park, Wash. "This time it wasn't a done deal but we responded well and had a lot of faith in our guys." Co -captain Kyle Williams scored two goals for the night including the game winner. The veteran forward also had no doubts his team would pull through. "This is my third year and it doesn't get any better than this," said Williams, 20, still bleeding from a hard shot taken near the end of the game. "We were never in doubt, we just had to bear down and play strong defensive zone," he said. Boise defenseman Jack York had the crowd on its feet when he scored Idaho's fourth goal unassisted in the second period. "This doesn't happen very often to any organization so people need to realize there's a lot of work that goes in," York said. "There's plenty of other teams that could have won this, its just our preparation and discipline that basically got us to here." A large part of the Junior Steelheads' success was credited to starting goal tender Sergei Pisarenko. The Ukrainian goalie held the top spot in the WSHL's net minder list most of the season. "This is definitely my hest season of my whole life playing hockey," Pisarenko said. When Colorado mounted another serious comeback from 4-0 to tie the game 4-4, Pisarenko didn't panic and stayed solid at net. "Actually I was ready for it," he said. "Colorado made a comeback every game and so we had to clear our mind and score again." Team owner Darrell Swigert was proud of the team's filth championship in its seven years of existence. "I'm not sure if there's a number that makes a dynasty but this team is doing what 1 set out for it to do," Swigert said after Friday's victory. Although many of the Junior Steelheads players now exceed the WSHL age limit and will move on to other endeavors, Latvian forward Nikita Zgirskis already plans to come back to Idaho. "I'm planning to come back to visit; this is my family now; Zgirskis said. `But first the hair, it's either I'm gonna dye it back or cut it and be bald for awhile - my mom's probably gonna cry when she sees me," he said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 4/21 /2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Junior Steelheads look to replace veterans for 2016-17 season aver to travel to Europe, Boston to search of players BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News Fresh off a fifth Thome Cup championship title, the Idaho Junior Steelheads hockey team is already looking ahead to next season John Over confirmed he will return for his seventh year as head coach and that team owner Darrell Swigert will continue his Westem States Hockey League franchise membership. The Junior Steelheads won the 2016 Thome Cup with a tense 5-4 victory over the Colorado Junior Eagles on April 15 in front of a capacity home crowd at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. The team trains in Boise during the week, but the Junior Steelheads have called McCall home ice since the team's inaugural year in 2009-10. PhD.. fog ttr sm-k.. M Gary Ex. Members of the Idaho Junior Steelheads celebrate with the Thorne Cup after the WSHL championship game in McCall on April lg. In question is what the rest of the bench may look like come this fall, starting with the assistarr coaching position currently held by Jason Smith. "Right now Jason's goal is to pursue a head coaching opportunity so it's uncertain whether he will return," Olver said. The team also has 12 players leaving after this season under the WSHL's age limit rule set at 21. Leading scorer Nikita Zgirskis ended his season with 41 goals and 53 assists. The Riga, Latvia, native played for two years as a leading forward and one of the key play makers for the team. Also leaving are co -captains Kyle Williams of Sharpsville, Penn. and Dimitris Jones of Normandy Park, Wash. Both played for Idaho the last three years. Williams, a forward, received the league's Most Valuable Player award and scored the game winning goal against the Junior Eagles for the Thome Cup victory. Jones tallied 12 goals and 37 assists. Williams, despite missing several games mid -season due to a concussion -related injury had 35 goals and 36 assists. Both were the backbone of Idaho's team leadership, Olver said. Also leaving are assistant captains Macky Power (Boise) and Kyle Ten Eyck (Sault St. Marie, Mich.), both forwards, and defensemen Parker Lewis (Riverton, Utah). Power and Ten Eyck were also top team scorers, with 32 goals and 35 assists for Power and Ten Eyck with 35 goals and 36 assists.. Veteran forward Zach Walden (Tacoma, Wash.) and defensemen Pontus Blom (Stockholm, Sweden), Zach Biebuyck (Nampa) and Denis Galushka (Moscow, Russia) also exit the Junior Steelheads bench. In goal, last season's top goal -tender, Sergei Pisarenko of the Ukraine, is eligible to return, but goalies Austin Atthaus (St. Cloud, Minn.) and Josh Giesbrecht (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) will not, Olver said. Althaus was also one of the most consistent goalies in the WSHL saving 917 percent of shots. "At this time of year we're not able to announce any of the players who will be returning," Over said. "All of our players are ambitious and want to play at a higher level so they're not going to commit to play here yet — we won't know until July or August," he said. In the meantime Over said he is planning to make at least two trips to Europe and several to the east coast of the U.S. to scout for potential players. The Junior Steelheads had nine international players on the 2015-16 squad, including three from Sweden, two from Russia, and one each from Latvia, Austria, Canada and Ukraine. "There's a camp in Stockholm, June 3-5, and I'm also looking to go to Latvia again," he said. "There was a camp in Russia last weekend were we had someone watching, so it's a network of people we stay in touch with," Olver said. Olver is scheduled to attend the Chowder Cup pre -draft in Boston, Mass., in two weeks, where several European teams are expected to be present. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 4/28/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 2 Junior Steelheads reload in quest for next Thorne Cup title Exhibition play start Saturday in McColl vs. Butte BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News Only five starters return to the Idaho Junior Steelheads hockey team this season. Luckily, one of them was the best goalie in the league last year. The Junior Steelheads begin their quest for a three -peat of their WSHL Thome Cup championships and their sixth league title in seven seasons with two exhibition games this weekend. Idaho will take on the Butte Cobras at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. Serge! Pisarenko, the Westem States Hockey League's best goaltender last season with his 1.21 goals against average and .944 save percentage, retums for another season, his third in the league. "Sergei is a motivated individual who is working toward attending college in the United States," head coach John Olver said. {Lm (I. lLe Sw.Iray. by Drk Selby Idaho Junior Steelhead Kyle Hoffman of Seattle leads players during a skating drill at Idaho Ice World in Boise. The other four retumees will lead the Junior Steelheads effort to repeat as the league scoring champions, last year notching 379 goals. Oleg Losev (Moscow, Russia) comes back for a third season, having scored 71 regular season and eight playoff points last year. Boise -area product Hunter Lester notched 53 regular and 13 playoff points. Now in his fourth season, if he were to get 48 points, he would become the Junior Steelheads all-time leading scorer. Lester will be the all-time leader in games played for the Idaho team when he appears in his 15th game this season. Scoring Punch Tyler Bemdt (Fond du Lac, Wisc.), who had more goals (24) than assists (20) last year, will provide more scoring punch with his hustling style of play. Boise resident Cory McClintick, who led the team in games played with 50 last year, put 13 goals and 12 assists on the board and can also play on defense when asked to. Olver and new assistant coach Jake Klancher have re -loaded the arsenal of talent, recruiting new players from five foreign countries and a number of Midwestern states. Goalie Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio) played with the Salt Lake City Moose last season, earning a 2.53 goals against and a .910 save percentage. Brenden Leise (Bothell, Wash.) got into a game for the Vancouver Rangers last season after playing in six the year before with the Arizona Hawks Offensive firepower is expected to come from new players Alexander Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus), Rei Kikuchi (Hokkaido, Japan), Fredrik Lindqvist (Norrtalje, Sweden), Jacob Hedencrona (Stockholm, Sweden), and Chris Hunt (Albany, N.Y.), Olver said. Forwards joining the team are Lance Herning (St. Charles, III.), Jakub Heza (Stemberk, Czech Republic), Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.), Dominic Puzevic (Mattawan, Mich.), and Dylan Rallis (Minneapolis, Minn). They will join Boise area products Jacob May, Bryan Kaes, and Dylan Jones on the scoring attack. New Defensemen Even though there are no returning defensemen, Olver is not worried. "We've brought in two players, Jonathan Davidsson and Jonathan Kartsson, who have played in the Swedish Super Elite Division the last two years," he said. He also expects stellar defense from Ty Cousineau (Minnetonka, Minn), who played a year in Canadian juniors, and Kyle Hoffman, a big, strong 20-year-old from Seattle. Arturs Apfelbaums from Riga, Latvia, and Brandon VanOphem (Washington Twp., Michigan) have a lot of potentia, as does Tristian Phillips, who will arrive at the end of the month from Anchorage, Alasaka. Added to this defensive mix is Kaden Krueger, a 15-year-old from Meridian, who played with the West Coast Renegades U14 last year. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 9/22/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 2 of 2 9n this group, we have tremendous size," Olver said. 'Big, mobile players. A lot to work with. There's a lot of potential. It will just have to gel." The Junior Steelheads open the 2016-17 regular season with a three -game road trip to South Lake Tahoe next weekend to take on the Tahoe Icemen. The first home games will be Oct. 7-9 against the Vancouver Rangers. Other home series throughout the season include: • Oct. 21-23 against Butte. • Nov. 11-13 versus the new Bellingham Blazers. • Dec. 9-11 against Whitefish. • Jan.13-15 versus Southern Oregon. • Jan. 20-22 against Seattle. • Feb. 10-12 against the Ogden Mustangs. • Feb. 17-19 versus Tahoe. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 9/22/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 2 No Drop -Off 2016-17 Junior Steelheads look strong in pre -season wins vs. Butte, 6-3 and 8-4 BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads delighted fans in McCall with 6-3 and 8-4 victories over the Butte Cobras in pre -season games last weekend. The defending WSHL Thome Cup champions will begin league play this weekend with three games in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., against the Tahoe Icemen. "We showed a lot of depth last weekend," head coach John Olver said. "We were able to play a lot of players and got a look in all situations." All four lines produce goals, an outcome that pleased ONer as he ponders the roster for the regular season. "We still have some injured defensemen," he said. "We gave uap a number of power play goals and need to improve in that area." IDAHO 6, BUTTE 3 Ph. for The Star,* by GayFim Junior Steelhead Jakub He. (7) of the Czech Republic rues a shot during Saturday's exhibition game against Butte in McCall while Ethan Cooney of the Cobras tries to stop him. Alexander Piliya notched the first goal 15: 41 into Saturday's game, played before about 350 fans at Manchester Ice and Event Center, assisted by Hunter Lester and Cory McClintick. The Junior Steelheads capitalized with a power play goal by Lance Herning with 8.5 seconds left. Fredrik Lindqvist drew the assist in creating the 2-0 first period lead. All three Cobras goals were scored by Jan Marcilis, who got his first seven minutes into the second period to cut the lead to 2-1. The Junior Steelheads had a 4-1 advantage by the end of the first period. Tyler Berndt fired a goal 8:20 in, with Lester and McClintick each getting another assist. Jacob Hedencrona scored on a left angle shot with 4:03 to go, Berndt assisting. Marcilis got the first two goals of the third period to cut the lead to 4-3 and complete his hat trick. Idaho iced the game with goals 32 seconds apart late in the final period to make the final score 6-3. Piliya scored an empty netter at the 18:14 mark after Butte pulled its goalie to bolster its offense. Arturs Apfelbaums made the final 6-3 with some fine passing from Heming and Lindqvist. Tyler Matthews was solid in goal for Idaho, winning with 18 saves. The Junior Steelheads took a total of 33 shots. IDAHO 8, BUTTE 4 Kyle Hoffman opened the scoring for the Junior Steelheads on Sunday when he blistered a shot over Butte goalie Danny Porter's right shoulder 1:23 into the game, assisted by Piliya and Bemdt. Hedencrona put in a rebound at 10:07, with Matt Kindred getting the sole assist as the 100 fans attended cheered. 48 seconds later, Chris Hunt scored unassisted for a 3-0 period lead. The Cobras came back with a goal 1:30 into the second period, but the Junior Steelheads answered with two. Hedencrona got his second goal to make it 4-1 and Rey Kikuchi picked up the assist. Bemdt scored on a power play shortly thereafter, with defensemen Huffman and Brandon VanOphem helping. Butte cut the lead to 5-2, but McCllntick skated through traffic and made it 6-2 at period's end. Forty-two seconds into the third period, Butte's Marcilis got his fourth goal of the series on a 5-on-3 power play. Kindred scored the next two for Idaho, a shorthanded score just 17 seconds later, and another 6:07 in, with Hunt and Hedencrona assisting. Butte finished scoring for the day with a tally with 5:04 left to make the final score 8.4. Veteran goalie Sergei Pysarenko played the first two periods for the Junior Steelheads and 2:18 of the third, making 15 saves. Brenden Leise finished up, saving nine of the 10 shots he faced. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 9/29/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 2 of 2 Idaho peppered Cobras goaltending with 34 shots. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 9/29/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Junior Steelheads name Jake Klancher as new assistant coach for 2016.17 season BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News Idaho Junior Steelheads head coach John ONer has announced that 29-yearold Jake Klancher has assumed the dual roles of assistant coach and director of recruiting. Klancher has been helping ONer since the beginning of summer build the roster for this years junior Steelheads team, which begins camp in Boise on Wednesday and open exhibition play in McCall Sept. 22-24. Klancher is a native of the Upper St. Clair area of Pittsburgh, Penn. He played high school hockey there, then played three years of junior hockey for the Capital District Selects in the EJHL, averaging a point a game. The 6-foot-3, 192 pound former winger then played two years of NCAA Division 1 hockey at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. He was chosen for the East Coast Athletic Conference's All - Academic Team in both the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. He graduated from St. Lawrence in 2012 and completed a major in economics and a minor in Canadian studies. Since graduation, he has put troth his hockey and academic talents to work. In hockey, Klancher has been an associate scout in the Atlantic District for The Neutral Zone LLC this past year, and had worked the previous year in player development and as a volunteer assistant coach for the South Hills Amateur Hockey Association. In business, he has been an A&R executive for Hollywood Studios of Pittsburgh for two years concurrent with serving as an economist and fleet advisor for BBL Fleet since February 2013. He had picked up some financial advising training with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management for three months after being a representative to St. Lawrence's Student Govemment on behalf of Crown Royalties Investment Fund during his college tenure. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 9/1 /2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Junior Steelheads team members move up in their careers 2016 Thorne Cup winners join college teams BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News Graduating members of the 2016 WSHL Thome Cup champions Idaho Junior Steelheads are now scattered across the United States to begin their college careers. 2015-16 co -captain Dimitris Jones will join the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. The Nor'easters compete in the New England Hockey Conference at the NCAA DIII level. The other co -captain from last season, Kyle Williams, will join teammate Nikita Zgirskis at Williston State College in Williston, N.D. The Tetons are moving to the ACHA DII this year from the NJCAA with a plan to advance to the ACHA DI in future years. Star -New, File Pam Former Idaho Junior Steelheads co -captain Dimitris Jones, shown here making a shot during Defenseman Parker Lewis is staying in his the 2o15-t6 season, will join the University of New home state of Utah to become an Aggie at England in Biddeford, Maine. Utah State University (ACHA DII). Parker and his family have known coach Jon Eccles since Parker was a small boy, and he has been around the program through the years. Two players will join the Boise State University program. Defenseman Zack Biebuyck, a native of the Boise area, will stay home to play his college hockey at Boise State, and fellow defenseman Mitchell Hodges will join the Broncos as well. The two hope to become as successful for Boise State as former Junior Steelheads Justin Videen, Greg Chapman, Matt Sanford, Taylor Crawford, and Josh Benton were when they became Broncos. Robert Neuwirth, a forward from the 2014-2015 championship team, has also reported that he will play at Westfield State in Westfield, Mass. The Owls are part of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference in NCAA DIII. In that league, Neuwirth will get a chance to compete against many former WSHL players who attend Worcester State. Recent Champions In addition to the players starting their college careers, the Junior Steelheads have three recent champions who will be at higher levels of junior hockey. Tyler Berndt, a forward from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, will play for the Coulee Region Chill (LaCrosse, Wisc.) of the NAHL. Colton Fletcher retums to his home state of Alaska to be with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs in the same league. Boise native Jack York, 19, will be with the Kemptville (Ontario) 73s in the Central Canada Hockey League. Also, three of the Swedish players from this year's championship team are retuming to their native country this season. Forwards Alex Knutsson and Axel Meurling will play for the Sollentuna HC (Division 1) and Viggbyholms IK (Division 2), respectively. Defenseman Pontus Blom joins the Vannes HC in Division 1. The 2016-17 Junior Steelheads roster will open play on Sept. 22-24 with exhibition matches with Butte and Vancouver at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 9/1/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 2 Jr. Steelheads put Tahoe on ice with three resounding wins Idaho to host home opener this weekend BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads opened their regular season by pummeling the Tahoe Icemen 15-1. 11- 2, and 7-1 at South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena last weekend. The Junior Steelheads averaged a staggering 72 shots on goal per game. By comparison, Tahoe was limited to a total of 70 shots on goal for the entire weekend. The Junior Steelheads will hope for a stronger challenge this weekend at as the host the Vancouver rangers for three games at Manchester Ice and Event Centre in McCall. The pick drops at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights and at 2 p.m. Sunday. The Rangers, a second -year WSHL team from Vancouver, Wash., lost two overtime games to the Seattle Totems at home last weekend. Idaho 15, Tahoe 1 The weekend barrage started with four Junior Steelheads goals in the first period Friday night. Retumee Tyler Bemdt (Fond du Lac, Wis.) got the first 6:33 into the game. With 5:49 left in the period, Idaho scored three times within 35 seconds. Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.), Bryan Kaes (Boise), and Jacob Hedencrona (Stockholm, Sweden) fired the three salvos. The Junior Steelheads piled on seven second -period goals, starting with Chris Hunt's (Albany, N.Y.) 2:06 in. He was followed in the parade by Rei Kikuchi (Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan), defenseman Brandon VanOphem (Washington Twp., Mich.), Alexander Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus), Hedencrona's second of the game, Dylan Rallis (Minneapolis, Minn.), and Hedencrona's third. Idaho finished the scoring with four tallies in the third period. Lance Heming (St. Charles, III.) notched one just 1:41 into the stanza. Kindred got his second and third in an eight minute span to match Hedencrona's hat trick, and Dominic Puzevic (Mattawa, Mich.) scored on a power play with just 12 seconds left. Photo ao The s,.,-rva., M oe tma Junior Steelhead Matthew Kindred follows his shot on goal on Sunday against the Tahoe Icemen at the South Tahoe lee Arena. Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine) started his season in the nets with a 20-save performance to earn the win. Idaho 11, Tahoe 2 Saturday night was more of the same. Berndt led off the scoring for the second game in a row, but this time it only took him 35 seconds to get the visitors' first goal. Again, the Junior Steelheads tallied four sores in the first period. Berndt was succeeded by defenseman Jonathan Karlsson (Karlskrona, Sweden), Herning, and Hunter Lester (Boise). The defending Thome Cup champions got four more goals in the second frame. Hedencrona lit the lamp 2:37 into the period. Bemdt followed exactly three minutes later with his third goal of the young season. Kindred scored on a power play, and Piliya made it 8-0 after two periods with 3:39 left. Kindred busted another goal just 25 seconds into the third period. Heming scored one, then Kindred finished his second hat trick in two nights for the 11th and final Junior Steelheads tally. Tahoe scored their first goal on a fluke. Herning was trying to clear the puck out of the Idaho zone, but his drive glanced off Tahoe's Jensen Baehr and backwards into the Junior Steelheads goal past a surprised Brenden Leise (Seattle, Wash.). Leise had nine saves in the third period after relieving starting goaltender Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio). Matthews notched three saves in the first period and nine in the second. Idaho 7, Tahoe 1 The visitors finished the series with a penalty -marred victory. Hedencrona scored the only goal of the first period, then got the first of the team's two in the second. Arturs Apfelbaum (Riga, Latvia) notched the other late in the period. Piliya made it 4-0, Herning scored on a power play, Kindred got an unassisted goal, and defenseman Kyle Hoffman (Issaquah, Wash.) ended the four -goal third period spree. Tahoe's loan goal came in the third period on a 5-on-3 power play advantage. http://wwvv.mccallstarriews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 10/6/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 2 of 2 The two teams combined for 32 penalties and 96 penalty minutes. Pysarenko won his second game of the weekend with 25 saves. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 10/6/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 2 WSHL grows to 30 teams for 2016-17 season Steelheads rivals Maulers drop out of league BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News Western States Hockey League founder Don Thorne started the league in 1994 so his son would have a place to play hockey. That year there were six teams, playing a 30-game schedule. The WSHL will begin its 23rd season this weekend with 30 teams. What started as a personal motivation now covers much of the United States, but the landscape may change significantly soon. Six WSHL teams plan to start a Tier I league to be known as the Central One Hockey League under the AAU-UHU affiliation. That would mean this year would be the final year for several strong rivals of the Idaho Junior Steelheads, including El Paso, Springfield, Oklahoma City, Casper, Ogden, and Colorado. Here is a look at the 2016-17 version of the WSHL, by division: Northwest Division The Missoula Maulers, who provided the stiffest competition to the Junior Steelheads for the Northwest Division the last two years, have dropped out of the WSHL due to a reported conflict between rink officials and ownership. The Northwest will remain an eight -team division, however, with the debut of the Bellingham Blazers from Bellingham, Wash. The Blazers bring a successful tenure in the Northern Pacific Hockey League to the WSHL and they have a veteran coach in Mark Collins. The other six teams remain, three with new head coaches. In Seattle, Mike Murphy returns as head coach and continues as general manager of the Totems. Owner Josh Steel takes over as head coach of the Whitefish Wolverines, and the new man at the helm of the Tahoe Icemen is Mickey Lang. The Southern Oregon Spartans of coach David Cole and Vancouver Rangers, led by Dave Daniell°, who finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Northwest last year, return, as do the Butte Cobras. Ty Smith retums to begin his first full season as coach of the Cobras. Western Division The eight team Westem Division, with which the Northwest is paired in post -season semi-final play to determine a Pacific champion and Thorne Cup finalist, retums intact. The Long Beach Bombers, who emerged as the Western champion last season and came to Idaho for that semi-final series, figures to be a strong competitor again, coached by Chris White. The same goes for the Valencia Flyers of coach Josh Berge, and probably the Fresno Monsters, who have undergone an ownership change. There has been significant turnover in head coaches in the Westem Division, with five new leaders out of the eight. Joakim Fait moves from Whitefish to take over the San Diego Sabers and former assistant Jason Rivera replaces Bryce Dale in Fresno. Brand new as WSHL coaches are Andy Tufto at Arizona, Rob O'Rourke in Ontario, and Mike Bowman in Phoenix. Gabe Gauthier returns to coach the Las Vegas Storm. Mountain Division The Mountain Division, from which the Colorado Eagles emerged to play the Junior Steelheads in last season's Thorne Cup finals, has undergone a couple of changes. The Salt Lake City Moose have re -branded and re -named themselves the Utah Outliers. Paul Taylor returns for his second season as head coach. His past success coaching the Dallas Ice Jets predicts the Outliers will be in the mix for the division title. A new team, the Vail Powder Hounds, joins the Mountain. Vail has hired former NHL player, Tom Younghans, as coach. The Eagles of coach Steve Haddon, Ogden Mustangs headed by Jake Laime, and Casper Coyotes of coach John Ambrefe, have all been very strong competitors and certainly look to remain so. The Superior Rough Riders coached by Paul DePuydt, Cheyenne Stampede led by Gary Gill, and Colorado Evolution of coach Bogdan Rudenko offer challenges to stronger teams on a game -by -game basis but certainly could surprise. Midwest Division http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 10/6/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 2 of 2 The six -team Midwest Division retums all teams and all head coaches. The only challenge to this stability is the one looming for the following year. The Oklahoma City Blazers, owned and coached by Tyler Fleck, had a great season last year and came within an overtime goal of the Thome Cup Finals. Jeremy Law and the Springfield Express, and Rob Weingartner and the Wichita Junior Thunder, were strong competitors, with Wichita in particular having improved greatly from the previous season. The El Paso Rhinos of coach Cory Herman had an off year last year, but observers look to the Rhinos and the above -named three teams to battle for playoff seeding once again. The Tulsa Junior Oilers coached by Marty Magers and Dallas Snipers of coach Aaron Davis had their moments last year, but fell short in the playoffs. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 10/6/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Japanese Junior Steelhead living out Ilfe-long dream Rei Kikuchi played well in Banff hockey program BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News "Hockey" and "Japan" may not be words that are normally associated with each other, but for Rei Kikuchi, hockey has been a life-long passion. Kikuchi, of Tomakomai, Japan, has joined the Idaho Junior Steelheads by way of the Banff Hockey Academy in Banff, Alberta, Canada. That is the same program which helped develop winger Oleg Losev, now in his third season with Idaho. Kikuchi (pronounced "Ray Kickcoochie)" wears No. 5 for the Junior Steelheads, which is the age at which he was first taken to a professional hockey game in his native country. He loved what he saw, and decided he wanted to play the sport. "Tomakomai is famous for hockey in Japan," Kikuchi said. "We have snow there." The 19-year-old winger scored his first goal for Idaho 24 minutes and 37 seconds into his first game on Oct. 28 against the Tahoe Icemen. Kikuchi was productive in the Banff hockey program at two levels last year. He scored 26 goals and 28 assists in 37 games for the Banff Bears in the HJHL. Phew fat Ile sm.rx". M Gm Fm Idaho Junior Steelheads player Rei Kikuchi from Japan saw his first hockey game at age 5 and got hooked on the game. He then unloaded 24 goals and 14 assists In 35 games for the Banff Hockey Academy prep team in the CSSHL school league. An aggressive winger, he totaled 175 penalty minutes between the two teams. Idaho Head coach John Olver has become "a kind of dad" to Kikuchi, helping him to learn English. "This is a high-level team," the 5-foot-9, 175 pound Kikuchi said. "I love my teammates. They are brothers. They are family." When he arrived in Canada, the only English words Kikuchi spoke were "Hi," "Yes; and "No," but he forced himself to speak only English. He got a late start due to an Injury and did not appear in the two pre -season games in McCall against Butte. Despite the injury, he was active during the training camp, helping his team and teammates by making sure water bottles were filled and available to players, and other chores. As far as his personal goals, Kikuchi is Gear. "I want to play pro hockey," he said. "I am interested in the money, not college." http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 10/13/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 2 Junior Steelheads keep out the broom Idaho hockey team sweeps Vancouver at home BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads kept their broom in use, sweeping another three game series on home ice last weekend. The Idaho team defeated the Vancouver Rangers by scores of 3-1, 6-2, and 7-2 to keep their season perfect with six wins and no losses. "The biggest thing that has made us successful through the years is a balanced attack," coach John ONer said. "We again have lots of guys contributing." Against the Rangers, eight different Junior Steelheads scored goals, and 14 different players had assists. Seven had some of each. All three Idaho goaltenders earned a victory at Vancouver's expense. "This year is going to be built around 'team,'" ONer said. "Night in and night out, 'team' will be the star. We want 25 players committed to playing our system and executing at a high level." Rob fa Ile Set, Nem by c.rErtis Idaho Junior Steelhead Fredrick Lindg ist (15) of Sweden puts the puck in the net during Saturday's game against Vancouver in McCall while Lance Fleming 07), of St. Charles, IIL, begins the celebration. The Junior Steelheads will be in Seattle this weekend for a three -game series against the Totems The team will retum to Manchester Ice and Event Centre for a three -game series against the Butte Cobras on Oct. 21-23. IDAHO 3, VANCOUVER 1 Alex Pil ya (Vitebsk, Belarus) got the Junior Steelheads started with a goal 3:50 into the contest on Friday in front of 250 hockey fans at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. Jacob Hedencrona (Stockholm, Sweden) followed at the 6:17 mark to make it a 2-0 lead which held up through the rest of the period. Hedencrona extended the lead to 3-0 with a power play goal just over four minutes into the second period, and the two teams battled at that score until almost the end of the game. Vancouver notched their only goal, also of the power play variety, with just 1:18 left. Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio) earned the Idaho victory in goal, making 16 saves. The Junior Steelheads outshot the Rangers 39 to 17. IDAHO 6, VANCOUVER 2 Defenseman Kyle Hoffman (Issaquah, Wash.) took advantage of a Rangers holding penalty to notch a power play goal 3:49 into Saturday night's game in front of 400 cheering fans. The Junior Steelheads took a 3-0 lead by the end of the period with a short-handed goal from forward Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.) 10:22 in and Hedencrona's third of the series a little over a minute later. Idaho made it 5-0 on scores by Chris Hunt (Albany, N.Y.) on a power play and Lance Heming (St. Charles, III.) on a great feed from Kindred. "Hunt is putting up numbers, and Herning has emerged himself as being a dominant player." Olver said. The Rangers tallied a short-handed goal before the end of the period, which ended 5-1 in Idaho's favor, and got a second goal on a power play with three minutes left in the game, but Hunt fired a shot into an empty net with 1:32 left to cap the 6-2 victory. Goaltender Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine) made 23 saves to get his third win of the year. The Junior Steelheads outshot Vancouver, 44 to 25. IDAHO 7, VANCOUVER 2 The Rangers took their first lead of the series with a power play goal 12:15 into the period, but the Junior Steelheads came back with two by the end of the period as 150 spectators looked on. Fredrik Lindqvist (Norrt alje, Sweden) scored from Herning 18:01 in, and Arturs Apfelbaums (Riga, Latvia) followed, with Hunter Lester (Boise) assisting, 37 seconds later. Vancouver played a fine second period and scored the only goal to fashion a 2-2 tie going into the http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 10/13/2016 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 2 of 2 third frame. However, the Junior Steelheads exploded for five unanswered goals. The first came from Piliya just 23 seconds in. Herning scored the next two, Hedencrona the sixth, and Hunt the seventh to secure the 7-2 sweep clincher. Netminder Brenden Leise (Seattle, Wash.) beat the Rangers, with whom he played last year, eaming 21 saves. Idaho barraged Vancouver with 51 shots, making it a 45 shot -per -game average for the weekend. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 10/13/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 1 of 2 Junior Steelheads stay unbeaten after taking two games from Seattle Butte to visit McCall this weekend for three -game series BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads won the two games of an abbreviated series last weekend, defeating the Seattle Totems 4-0 on Thursday night and 7-1 on Friday. The wins preserved the Junior Steelheads 8-0 undefeated record in Westem States Hockey League play so far this season. "Both games were close going into the third period," head coach John Olver said. "Their goaltender was excellent both nights," ONer said. "In both contests, we pulled away late." The threat of high winds on Saturday led to the postponement of many sporting events in the Seattle area, including Saturday's third game of the Totems/Junior Steelheads series. No make-up date has been announced. Photo by Haw acme Junior Steethead Chris Hunt (q - Albany, N.Y.) takes a shot against Totems goal Cameron Madrid during last Thursday's game in Seattle. This weekend, the improved Butte Cobras return to Manchester Ice and Event Centre in McCall for three games. Friday and Saturday nights will see the puck drop at 7 p.m. while Sunday afternoon's start time will be 2 p.m. The Junior Steelheads won two pre -season games over Butte in McCall by scores of 6-3 and 8-4. "With Butte, we anticipate a tougher series than in the past," ONer said. "They played physical in the pre -season games here in September." Last weekend, Butte played close games against Southem Oregon, who ONer says is "clearly to be a team we have to beat, extremely tough." The Cobras defeated the Spartans 3-2 in Sunday's game after falling 5-3 and 5-4 the previous nights. IDAHO 4, SEATTLE 0 Veteran net -minder Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine) fashioned the Junior Steelheads' first shutout of the season making 20 saves in Thursday's game held at Mountain View Ice Arena in Mountlake Terrace, Wash. A late first -period goal by Dominic Puzevic (Mattawan, Mich.), his second of the season, was all the scoring the Idaho team would need; Defenseman Jonathan Davidsson (Hong, Sweden) capitalized with a power play goal late in the second period, and Fredrik Lindqvist (Norrtalje, Sweden) and Cory McClintick (Boise) added third -period tallies to complete the offense. Lindgvist's goal was his second on the young season. Davidsson and McClintick each garnered their first of the campaign. The Junior Steelheads powered 58 shots on Seattle goalie Cameron Madrid, of which he saved 54. IDAHO 7, SEATTLE 1 Friday night's game began similarly to Thursday's, with Lance Herning (St. Charles, III.) notching a late first period goal from a 4-on-4 situation. Seattle tied the game half way through the second period, with Mitch Hunt (Seattle, Wash.) scoring what proved to be the Totems' only goal of the weekend. Defenseman Tristan Phillips (Anchorage, Alaska) broke the tie with his first goal of the year at the 14:40 mark, and the Junior Steelheads carried a 2-1 lead into the third period. Then came the explosion, with five Idaho goals scored in under eight minutes of playing time. Jakub Heza (Stemberk, Czech Republic) made it 3-1 with his first Junior Steelhead goal at 4:16. Lindqvist got his second of the game at 5:36. At the 9:44 mark, Alex Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus) was in the face-off circle. The linesman dropped the puck, and Piliya knocked it right into the net for his sixth goal of the season, making it 5-1. Herning got his second of the game and ninth of the year at 11:09, and 26 seconds later, Chris Hunt (Albany, N.Y.) rounded out the scoring with his fifth of the campaign. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 10/20/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 2 of 2 Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio) played another fine game In goal, winning his third game of the year and having to make only 12 saves. The Junior Steelheads peppered Madrid again with 59 shots on goal. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 10/20/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 1 of 2 Scrappy Cobras hand Junior Steelheads first lost, 3-2, in shoot-out Idaho goes 2-1 in weekend series vs. Butte BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads felt the bite of the Butte Cobras in a 3-2 shootout loss on Sunday in McCall. It was the first loss for the Idaho team after 10 straight victories to start the 2016-17 season. After falling by scores of 5d and 4-2 in the first two games, the third -year Cobras' triumph on Sunday marked the first time they had defeated the Junior Steelheads. "We hate to take any loss, but this is not the end of the world and brings to light some things we need to work on," Coach John Olver said after the game. "Butte competed hard," Olver said. "They have improved over the course of the last year." The Junior Steelheads are idle this weekend. A series was scheduled Nov. 4-0 at Whitefish, Mont., but the Whitefish Wolverines team shut down before the start of the season. The next home series will be Nov. 11-13 against the new Bellingham Blazers. IDAHO 5, BUTTE 4 About 250 fans at Manchester Ice and Event Centre waited almost the entire first period Friday night before a goal was scored. Jacob Hedencrona (Stockholm, Sweden) notched a power play goal at 18:43 to give Idaho a 1-0 first period lead. Butte tied the game with a power play goal 5:45 into the second period, but the Junior Steelheads answered with three tallies. Fredrik Lindgvist (Norrtalje, Sweden) Ift the lamp on another power play at 10:58. Roma 11" sm. 4vs br Garr Lae+ TOP: Alexander Piliva foes the puck toward the Butte goal during Saturday's game in McCall. ABOVE: Junior Steelhead Jonathan Davidson scuffles with a Butte player during Saturday's game in McCall. Tyler Bemdt (Fond du Lac, Wis.) scored at 12:26, and Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.) made it 4-1 with a goal Just inside the last minute of play in the period. The Cobras scored with just 5.2 seconds left to trail 4-2 after two stanzas. Showing the competitive drive noted by Olver, the Cobras tied the game with goals at the 9:46 and 12:37 markers of the third period, and the two teams battled until Butte was called for a tripping penalty at 17:34. Kindred scored on the power play with 53.9 seconds left in the game to avoid overtime and give Idaho its ninth straight win. Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio) earned his fourth victory of the season in goal, making 20 saves. Idaho took 31 shots on Butte goaltender Kyle Lane (Raynham, Mass.) IDAHO 4, BUTTE 2 It took three quarters of the first period, but the Cobras grabbed their first lead of the series with a power play goal at 14:58 before about 450 fans. The Junior Steelheads tied the game with 35.2 seconds ieft in the period on Oleg Losev's (Moscow, Russia) first goal of the season, also a power play tally. Each team notched a second period goal, with Butte taking a 2-1 lead at 12:01 and the Steelies tying it with another Losev goal at 13:58. The home team got what proved to be the game -winning goal as Lindqvist blasted a shot over the right shoulder of Cobras goalie Lucas Sadlon (Bratislava, Slovakia) at 5:56. Alex Pil ya (Vitebsk, Belarus) gave Idaho an insurance goal on a power play at 8:17. Goaltender Sergei Pysarenko got win number five, making 31 saves. Idaho fired 30 shots on goal. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 10/27/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 2 of 2 BUTTE 3, IDAHO 2 (SO) The Cobras showed off their progress Sunday aftemoon in front of about 150 fans. They scored the first two goals of the game, both shorthanded goals, one in the first period, and one in the second. The Junior Steeiheads tied the game by the end of the second period. Dylan Rallis (Minneapolis, Minn.) connected on a power play at the 12:10 mark, and Lance Heming (St. Charles, III.) scored at 17:07. The two teams battled through a scoreless third period and two five-minute overtimes, leading to a shootout to decide the issue Matthews had made 23 saves for Idaho and Eric Ahlberg posted 31 saves in the Butte net during regulation and overtime play. Kristers Bormanis (Jelgava, Latvia) scored on Matthews to open the shootout, but Kindred came up empty against Ahlberg. In the second round, neither Jan Marcilis (Czech Republic) of Butte nor Piliya could score. Amandus Laukkanen (Sundsvall, Sweden) of the Cobras was able to get one past Matthews for a 2-0 lead in the shootout, putting the pressure squarely on the Idaho shooters. Hedencrona failed to score, ending the third round. Ted Astrom was unsuccessful as the fourth Butte shooter, leaving it up to Idaho's Chris Hunt (Albany, N.Y.). Hunt had to get a goal to keep his team in the contest, but he could not convert, and Butte won the game http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 10/27/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 1 of 1 Lester, McCllntick named IJS CO -captains Hunter Lester and Cory McClintick have been named co -captains of the Junior Steelheads. As co -captains, Lester and McClintick will wear a "C" on their respective jerseys for both home and road games. Both are from Boise and have been a part of youth hockey and junior hockey. Lester is only a few games away from becoming the all time Junior v Steelhead in games played. Barring anything unforeseen, he should take Hunter Lester Cory the lead during the Bellingham series in McCall. McCHotta McClintick, who plays both forward and defense, led the Junior Steelheads in games played last season. His versatility and toughness contribute to his leadership abilities. Coach John Olver has mixed veteran and new players for the assistant captain assignments. When the Junior Steelheads are at home, veteran Oleg Losev (Moscow, Russia) and newcomer Ty Cousineau (Mahtomedi, Minn.) will be the assistants. For road games, Tyler Bemdt (Fond du Lac, Wisc.) and defenseman Kyle Hoffman (Issaquah, Wash.) will wear the 'As" on their uniforms. Losev is in his third season with the Junior Steelheads. The forward has been playing some at a defensive position this year. Cousineau is a highly regarded defenseman from Minnesota high school hockey. Berndt has returned to Idaho for a second season. Hoffman is a sizable presence at the blue line. He stands 6-3 and weights 208. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php l 1 /3/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 1 of 1 Junior Steelheads to play Casper in Sun Valley this weekend Games scheduled inter Whitefish team folded BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads Junior A amateur hockey team will make history this weekend when they play their first -ever WSHL hockey series in the Sun Valley area. The Casper Coyotes of the Mountain Division will travel to the Campion Ice House in Hailey for games Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon. This series will replace the three regular season games the Junior Steelheads lost when the Whitefish Wolverines ceased operations in September. For Casper, the games are replacements for their scheduled contests against the Colorado Evolution, which also folded. The Junior Steelheads, playing in the Northwest Division of the Westem States Hockey League, were idle this past weekend. They won their first 10 games of the season before absorbing a shoot-out loss in their last game with Butte. Casper played three games on home ice this past weekend against the Superior RoughRiders, winning two. The Coyotes are in third place in the Mountain Division with a record of six wins, three losses, and three overtime losses. The series in Hailey will be available for viewing on http://blackdogenterprises.org and through the WSHL website. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 11 /3/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 1 of 2 Junior Steelheads win 2, lose 1 in OT to Casper in Hailey Idaho to host Bellingham for three game series this weekend BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Casper Coyotes handed the Idaho Junior Steelheads only its second loss of the season on Friday, besting the Idaho team 5-4 in overtime. The Junior Steelheads won the weekend, however, by defeating the Coyotes on Friday and Sunday in games played in Hailey. It was only the second loss of the season compared with 12 wins for the Idaho team. Butte defeated the Junior Steelheads in a 3-2 shoot-out in McCall in Oct. 23. "We had some good stretches," Idaho coach John Olver said of the weekend. "We grew as a group, even though we are still working on playing a complete 60 minutes." This coming weekend the Junior Steelheads come back to McCall to host the Northwest Division's newest team, the Bellingham (Wash.) Blazers. Friday and Saturday night games at Manchester Ice and Event Centre begin at 7 p.m. while Sunday's contest is slated for 2 p.m. Bellingham (8-7) was swept by the Vancouver Rangers in three close games in Bellingham last weekend. IDAHO 4, CASPER 2 The two teams battled through a scoreless first period on Friday before 160 fans. Hm by Da, Secs Junior Steelhead lance Herring (17) battles for the puck with Casper's Bruno Mizerak (2) during Saturday's game played in Hailey. Tyler Bemdt (Fond du Lac, Wisc.) notched Idaho's first goal 1:25 into the second period. Casper tied the game with just a couple of minutes left in the frame. Dominic Puzevic (Mattawan, Mich.) then scored after a face-off to get the eventual game -winner with 1:23 to go. The Junior Steelheads added insurance in the form of goals by Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.) and Fredrik Lindqvist (Norrtalje, Sweden) late in the third. Casper could get just one back before time expired. Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine) eamed his sixth victory of the season in goal, making 30 saves. Idaho shooters aimed 48 shots at Daniel Kornakker (Budapest, Hungary), now playing the nets for Casper after appearing in McCall in last season's Thorne Cup semi-finals for the Long Beach Bombers. CASPER 5, IDAHO 4 (OT) In front of 310 fans, the Junior Steelheads and Coyotes waged a battle into extra time on Saturday. Berndt got the scoring started again, with a power play goal through goalie the legs of Casper's Adam Andersson 8:57 into the game. Casper tied it two minutes and six seconds later, and the score stood 1-1 after a period. Idaho jumped out with three unanswered goals in the second period. Kindred broke the tie 7:31 into the period. Lance Herning (St. Charles, Ill.) notched a power play goal at 11:57, and Jacob Hedencrona (Stockholm Sweden) made it 4-1 with another man -advantage tally at 13:33. Olver said mental mistakes cost the team two goals to bring the score to 4-3. Casper's Sven Zinsli tied the game, 4-4, with a late -third period goal and time expired in regulation. Just 26 seconds into overtime, Zinsli fielded a puck off the boards and beat Idaho netminder Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio) to secure the 5-4 win. Matthews made 27 saves in the game in his second overtime loss of the season. The Junior Steelheads attempted 39 shots on Andersson, but none went in during the second half of the game. IDAHO 3, CASPER 1 Casper got a goal 48 seconds into Sunday's game and the rest of first period was scoreless, as was the entire second period. "We saved our best period of the series for last," Olver said. "We showed great energy and emotion and execution. It wasn't just one player or one line, but the entire team." http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 11 /10/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 2 of 2 Pysarenko, getting the Sunday start in front of 145 fans, suffered an injury 2:55 into the period, but stayed in the game. Idaho rallied with three unanswered goals. Oleg Losev (Moscow, Russia) tied the contest off a pass from Heming at 7:46 and Kindred got his third goal of the weekend off a bouncing puck from the comer at 15:11 for what turned out to be the game -winner. Dylan Rallas (Minneapolis, Minn.) iced the cake 18 seconds later with a shot under Komakker's blocker after fighting through some traffic. Pysarenko earned win number seven with a stellar performance, making 34 saves. The Junior Steelheads powered 38 shots on goal. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 11 / 10/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 1 of 2 Junior Steelheads torch Blazers, sweep three -game series Idaho dominates Bellingham by scores of 8-0, 3-0, 8-2 BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads gave a rude welcome to WSHL Northwest Division expansion team Bellingham Blazers last weekend with a three -game sweep that included two shutouts. The Junior Steelheads cruised to victories at Manchester Ice and Event Centre with scores of 8-0, 3-0, and 8-2. The Junior Steelheads lead the Northwest Division with 15 wins, no regulation losses, and two overtime losses. Their .941 winning percentage is third in the Westem States Hockey League behind the still -undefeated Ogden Mustangs and Oklahoma City Blazers. Strides that the team took against Casper in games played Nov. 4-6 in Hailey continued against the Blazers, coach John Olver said. "Friday we played really well defensively, our penalty kill was outstanding, and we barely gave up a shot, let alone a goal," Olver said. Ph. fix The ssr-t4., y uq F.w Junior Steelhead Matt Kindred On), battles for the pick with Bellingham Blazer Jaiden Laporte 07) during Saturday night's game in McCall. "Championships are won with defense, and we have to continue to be solid," he said. The Junior Steelheads travel to Butte, Montana, this coming weekend for a three game series against the Cobras. The Butte team is currently In sixth place in the division with a 5-9 record but administered one of the overtime losses to Idaho when they played iun McCall on Oct. 23. IDAHO 8, BELLINGHAM 0 Junior Steelhead Winger Tyler Berndt (Fond du Lac, Wisc.) continued his recent trend on Friday, getting the opening goal for the third time in the last four games at 4:41 into the contest with a shot between Blazer goaltender Alex Olson's legs. Jakub Heza (Stemberk, Czech Republic) added the second Idaho tally on an unassisted breakaway, and the remaining 10:02 of the first period produced no other scoring for the 250 fans in attendance. The Junior Steelheads spread three goals throughout the second period. Hunter Lester (Boise) got his second score of the season 2:24 into the stanza. Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.) poked home a rebound at the 9:11 mark, and Dylan Rallis (Minneapolis, Minn.) notched one with 3:12 to go. The third period also saw three Idaho goals, but all before the halfway point of the period. Rei Kikuchi (Tomakomai, Japan) scored at 3:34, Lance Heming (St. Charles, III.) scored just 13 seconds later, and Rallis scored again on a power play with 10:06 left to finish the scoring. Rallis also had two assists to complete a four point night. Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio) faced only 10 shots from the Blazers in picking up his second shutout and fifth win of the season. Idaho took 48 shots on Olson. IDAHO 3, BELLINGHAM 0 Bemdt figured in the first Junior Steelheads goal again Saturday night in front of 420 fans, but from a different angle. He was in the penalty box for goaltender interference, and on the shorthand, Heza picked up a loose puck at his own blue line, skated the length of the ice and scored on Olson 15:38 into the game. The remainder of the first period and the entire second period were scoreless. Alex Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus) provided an insurance goal 2:59 into the final period, skating from deep in the Idaho zone and firing a hard shot past Olson from the middle of the offensive zone. Kyle Hoffman (Issaquah, Wash.) capped the scoring with a short-handed empty net goal with 47 seconds left, blasting the shot from outside the blue line. Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine) earned his second shutout and eighth win, turning aside all 15 shots he saw. Olson had to field 36 shots on net by the Junior Steelheads. IDAHO 8, BELLINGHAM 2 http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 11 / 17/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 2 of 2 Before a Sunday crowd of 140, the home team felt its first bit of pressure from Bellingham, as the Blazers finally got on the board five minutes into the game. However, the Junior Steelheads released the pressure with eight unanswered goals, three in the first period and five in the second. Jacob Hedencrona (Stockholm, Sweden), Kindred, and Piliya scored to give Idaho a 3-1 first period lead. Arturs Apfelbaums (Riga, Latvia), Kikuchi, Chris Hunt (Albany, N.Y.) on the shorthand, Herning, and Heza dominated with the second period tallies. Bellingham scored the only goal of the third period to close the books on their first series against the Junior Steelheads. Brendan Leise (Seattle, Wash.) tended the nets for Idaho, getting his second win of the season with a 19-save performance. The Junior Steelheads unleashed 52 shots on Olson and his second period replacement, Jake Holden. Back To Index/Menu Volunteer Needed to Play Stix at Junior Steelheads Games A volunteer is needed to play Stix, the mascot of the Idaho Junior Steelheads, during home games at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. The mascot greets fans, young and old, and helps cheer on the Junior Steelheads during Friday and Saturday home games. Volunteers should be an adult or a mature youth and will received complimentary admission for family members and free drinks. To volunteer or for questions, call Shirley Hicks at 315-4591. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 11 /17/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 1 of 1 Junior Steelhead Lester breaks record for most games played Boisean fops previous records of 135 games BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News When co -captain Hunter Lester took the ice in last Saturday night's game in McCall, he became the all-time leader in regular season games played for the Idaho Junior Steelheads. The contest, a 3-0 victory over the Bellingham Blazers, was Lester s 136th game, eclipsing the mark of 135 set by former co -captain Dimitris Jones last season. Lester, the 6-foot-even, 170 pound winger from Boise, played in his 137th game on Sunday and figures to hold the record a great deal longer than Jones did. The closest current player is winger Oleg Losev, who has played in 101 games to date. Lester is in his fourth year as a Junior Steelhead. His first game was on September 27, 2013. In his first season, he played in 41 games, followed by another 41 in year two, and 39 last season. His point production has increased steadily, from 13 to 19 to 25 goals in his three campaigns, and from 12 to 26 to 28 assists. (25-45-53 points) "It is nice to see Hunter get his name in the record hooks, coach John Olver said. "He has played a pivotal role in two league championships, been a real warrior, and has scored some big goals," Olver said. G Photo M D".z Seelig Hunter tester, shown here taking a shot against Casper earlier this month, broke the record last weekend for most games played by am' member of the Idaho Junior Steelheads. Lester has done things which do not show up on the scoresheet, the coach said. He has become one of the team's best defensive players and serves as an example for others. "Hunter came here as a 16 year old and has developed to become a team captain and Ieader,ONer said. "He plays the game the right way, the way we ask our players to play. Lester played his youth hockey in the Boise area, then went to Arizona at the 16U level before retuming to be able to play junior hockey at home. His family has been heavily involved with hockey and other sports in Boise. Starting this current season, Lester stood fourth in all time goals for the Idaho team with 57. He was also tied for ninth in assists with 66, and six in all-time points with 123. Here is the list of the top 10 Idaho Junior Steelheads by games played: Here is a list of top Idaho Junior Steelheads according to total games played: 1. Hunter Lester: 137 2. Dimitris Jones: 135 3. Kevin Lassen: 129 4. No Crhak: 128 5. Tyler Kruenegel 127 6. Macky Power: 123 7. Kyle TenEyck: 123 8. Justin Videen: 123 9. Parker Lewis: 116 10. Nate Stanley: 102 11. Oleg Losev: 101 12. Stephen Rods: 101 http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 11 /17/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 1 of 2 Junior Steelheads put the bite on Cobras, sweep three games in Butte BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads swept a three -game series in Butte, Mont., last weekend grinding out wins of 9-4, 7-3, and 5-3 wins against the Cobras. With both Ogden and Oklahoma City losing their first games of the year last week, the Junior Steelheads are now the only team in the Western States Hockey League not to have lost in regulation time. Coach John Olver's crew has the league's best point percentage at .950, with their 18 wins, one overtime loss, and one shootout loss. The team is idle through the Thanksgiving holiday and will resume action with a first -ever road trip to Bellingham, Wash., Dec. 2-4, for another three -game series against the Blazers. The Junior Steelheads swept the Blazers in McCall Nov. 11-13, outscoring the expansion team 19-2 over the series. ZHOVNIR MAKES JUNIOR STEELHEADS DEBUT Last weekend's series in Butte featured the Junior Steelheads debut of defenseman Kyrylo Zhovnir, a 6-foot-4, 223 pound, 19-year-old from Kiev in the Ukraine. Zhovnir played sparingly Friday night but took full shifts Saturday night and Sunday. He earned one assist on Saturday and two on Sunday. The new Idaho D-man had been playing for the Kiev Generals to start this season. Last season he played on a championship team for his native country as well as a 37 game stint with HK Kremenchuk, where he posted 13 points. During the 2014-15 season, Zhovnir was a teammate of standout Junior Steelhead goalie Sergei Pysarenko with the Colorado Evolution in the WSHL. He played in 37 games that season, scoring four goals, all on power plays, and seven assists. IDAHO 9, BUTTE 4 The Cobras got the first goal of the weekend 2:27 into the first period Friday night at the Butte Civic Center. Jakub Heza It took the Junior Steelheads only 61 seconds to respond, with Jakub Heza (Sternberk, Czech Repub.) scoring from the slot. This opened the floodgates, as Idaho reeled off six more unanswered goals. Oleg Losev (Moscow, Russia) and Tyler Bemdt (Fond du Lac, Wisc.) notched first period tallies, Bemdt's on a power play, to give the visitors a 3-1 lead. In the second period, Berndt and Heza each scored again, with Heza's being on a power play, to prompt a Butte goaltender change. Just 11 seconds after Eric Ahiberg (Karistad,Sweden) replaced starter Kyle Lane (Raynham, Mass.), Matt Kindred's (Garden City, Mich.) first shot found the back of the net to make it 6-1. Jonathan Davidsson (NOM, Sweden) tallied Idaho's third power play goal of the night with 2:25 left in the period off a fine cross -ice pass from Lance Herning (St. Charles, III.), and Butte scored again with just less than a minute left to give the Junior Steelheads a 7-2 lead after two. Co -captain Hunter Lester scored goals 13 minutes apart in the third, the first on a breakaway and the second after taking the puck from a Butte player, to make it 9-2. The Cobras added two goals before the end of the game, the second one a shorthanded goal. Pysarenko made 19 saves in net for the Junior Steelheads to eam his ninth victory of the campaign. The two Butte goahenders produced 32 saves between them as Idaho peppered them with 41 shots. IDAHO 7, BUTTE 3 For the second night in a row, the Cobras opened the scoring on Saturday at the 2:38 mark. The Junior Steelheads tied the contest five minutes later with Jacob Hedencrona (Stockholm Sweden) getting his 13th goal of the season. Butte took a 2-1 lead with a power play goal with 1:32 left in the period, and Heza scored for the visitors with 45 seconds left to tie the match. The Junior Steelheads spread three goals throughout the second period. Heza tallied again early in the period for his fourth goal of the weekend. Lester got a power play goal in the middle, and Jonathan Karlsson (Karlscrona, Sweden) converted on a power play with 4:44 left. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 11/23/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 2 of 2 Idaho kept Butte without a goal in the second period, the only period of the series a team did not score. The Cobras closed the gap to 5-3 with a shorthanded goal 11:32 into the third, but Berndt responded with a short-handed wrap -around goal a couple of minutes later. Lester capped the game's scoring with 3:15 left, getting his fourth goal of the series. Tyler Matthews performed the net -minding chores for the Junior Steelheads, getting his sixth win of the season with a 32-save effort. Ahlberg faced 40 shots from the Idaho team. IDAHO 5, BUTTE 3 Sunday saw a different start in the scoring. Bryan Kaes (Boise) got the Junior Steelheads on the board first 4:18 into the game, but the Cobras got a power play goal to tie, and the first period ended 1-1. �4t lance Herring make it 3-1. This is when Herning went to work. The Midwesterner broke the tie with a shorthanded goal 7:47 into the second period, on a pass from Fredrik Lindqvist (Norrtalje, Sweden). Some daja vu for Butte then occurred. Starting goaltender Lucas Sadlon (Bratislava, Slovakia) was injured 12:52 into the period and was replaced by Lane. Kaes took the first shot on the new goaltender, and Heming put the rebound past him to The Cobras got a goal back before the end of the period, and the game was truly up for grabs heading into the third period. Herning completed a hat trick with his 16th goal of the season 4:56 in, but the Cobras hissed back three minutes later with a goal to make it 4-3. Losev iced the game for the Junior Steelheads with an empty -net goal on a breakaway with 1:09 left, giving the visitors the sweep. Pysarenko got win number 10, making 27 saves, while the Junior Steelheads fired 36 shots at the Cobra net. http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 11 /23/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 1 of 1 Defenseman Apfelbaums to leave Jr. Steelheads BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News Coach John Olver has announced that Idaho Junior Steelheads defenseman Arturs Apfelbaums will be leaving the team temporarily to pursue opportunities with his national U20 teams. The Riga, Latvia, resident, who has scored 3 goals and 11 assists in 18 games, will go to Canada on or about December 17 to try out for Team Latvia U20. The team will play in the U20 World Junior Championships in Montreal and Toronto from December 26 through January 5, 2017. Arturs Apfelbaums Olver's club, continuing to lead the Northwest Division with an 18-0-2 record, will play for the first time ever at the Bellingham (Wash.) Sportsplex against the expansion Blazers Friday night at 7:35 PM PST, Saturday night at 7:35 PM , and Sunday aftemoon at 1:35 PM. The Junior Steelheads resume action this weekend with what is now a four -game road trip to the far northwest reaches of the Westem States Hockey League. They will then stay to play a Monday game at 4:45PM PST at Olympicview Ice Arena in Mountlake Terrace (Wash.), against the Seattle Totems as a make up for the game which was cancelled back on October 15 due to threatening weather in the Seattle area. The Junior Steelheads defeated the Blazers 8-0, 3-0, and 8-2 in a home series in McCall. Bellingham is in third place in the Northwest. Idaho beat the Totems 4-0 and 7-1 in the two games played in October. Seattle is currently sixth in the seven -team division. http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 12/1 /2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 1 of 2 v Junior Steelheads sweep 3 from Blazers, take out Seattle Idaho team heads to Las Vegas to face WSHL's top teams BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads had a perfect four -game road trip to the state of Washington last weekend, beating the Bellingham Blazers by scores of 3-2, 3-0, and 6-2, then finishing with a 7-4 win at Seattle on Monday. Coach John Olver's crew takes a 22-win, 2 overtime loss record into the Western States Shootout in Las Vegas starting Dec. 17. The Las Vegas event matches up the best teams in the WSHL and serves as a showcase for scouts from college hockey teams who have scholarships to offer players who make an impression. The Junior Steelheads are still the only team in the WSHL not to have a regulation loss. The team's point percentage is the best of all 27 teams in the league, and they have opened up a six point Northwest Division lead over the Southem Oregon Spartans. The Junior Steelheads were to have played a home series this coming weekend, but the Whitefish Wolverines folded, leaving a hole in the schedule. IDAHO 3, BELLINGHAM 2 tnaour Baal caaanPm claw Motown*. Idaho Junior Steelheads forward Rei Kikuchi (5) and Bellingham's Mark McDonald 06) battle for the puck during Friday s game in Bellingham, Wash. Winger Jacob Hedencrona (Stockholm, Sweden) got the Junior Steelheads on the board 4:15 into the first period on Friday with his 14th goal of the season. The Blazers tied the game, played at the Bellingham Sportsplex, just a couple of minutes later. Bellingham broke the tie 2:17 into the second period after which Tyler Berndt (Fond du Lac, Wisc.) re- directed the puck into the net just 42 seconds later to knot the game at 2-2. There was lots more back and forth in the third, and the mounting tension had people wondering if the expansion team could and would get to overtime against the Junior Steelheads. But it was not to be, as Lance Heming (St. Charles, III.) settled the issue with the game -winning goal with 3:07 left in regulation. The Junior Steelheads then kept the pressure on, controlling the puck in the Blazers zone and not letting the home team pull their goaltender in favor of an extra attacker until the last 10 seconds of the game. Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio) made 19 saves in goal for the Idahoans to earn his seventh victory of the season. The Junior Steelheads pounded out 45 shots on goal in the contest. IDAHO 3, BELLINGHAM 0 The Junior Steelheads and Blazers combined for 26 shots in the first period Saturday night but could produce no goals. Hunter Lester (Boise) finally broke the ice 3:21 into the second period, taking a crisp pass from Oleg Losev (Moscow, Russia) and scoring from right in front of the net. Taking advantage of a Bellingham turnover, Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.) made it 2-0 a little over three minutes later, and the score held through the end of the period. Rei Kikuchi (Tomakomai, Japan) notched a power play goal 12:46 into the third, and the Junior Steelheads defense allowed the Blazers only three shots on goal in the final stanza to wrap up the win. Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine) turned aside all 16 shots he faced in getting his 11th win and third shutout of the campaign. The Junior Steelheads put 47 shots on the Bellingham goal. IDAHO 6, BELLINGHAM 2 The Blazers fore -checked well in the first period Sunday and spent more time in the Junior Steelheads zone. It paid off with two goals against Idaho netminder Brenden Leise (Seattle, Wash.), the first at 12:36 and second at 16:15. The Steelheads fired 17 shots in the period, but none went in the net. Heeding the wake-up call, Idaho dominated the second period, taking a 3-2 lead on goals by Heming, Jakub Heza (Stemberk, Czech Repub.) on a power play, and Dom Puzevic (Mattawan, Mich.). http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 12/8/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 2 of 2 Meanwhile, the visitors limited Bellingham to just three shots in the period, one of which wasn't really a shot, but it just happened to go on net. The Junior Steelheads continued the comeback with three third -period goals. Arturs Apfelbaums (Riga, Latvia), Bryan Kaes (Boise), and Lester all lit the lamp to wrap up the 6-2 victory. Leise finished with 18 saves on the day to get his third win of the year. The idahoans further upped the shots on goal production to 52. IDAHO 7, SEATTLE 4 Staying on the road to play a make-up game against Seattle late Monday aftemoon, the Junior Steelheads got another first period wake-up call. The Totems capitalized on a five-minute major penalty called on Bemdt by scoring two power play goals, then added a third tally 15:13 into the period. This time the Steelies didn't wait a whole period to respond. They waited only 25 seconds. Losev scored the first of five unanswered Idaho goals before the end of the period at 15:38, followed by Kikuchi 20 seconds later, Lester a minute after that, Apfelbaums on a shot from the left point, and Fredrik Lindqvist (Nortalje, Sweden) on a power play Seattle got a goal back 6:28 into the second period to cut the lead to 5-4, but Lindqvist responded just 30 seconds later with his second of the evening. The third period was scoreless until Hedencrona, who had started the weekend's goal scoring, finished It with a tally with just 19.2 seconds left on the clock. Leise started the game for Idaho, who made two saves and allowed the first Seattle goal. He was replaced by Matthews, who went the rest of the way and gained win number eight with a 21-save performance. The Junior Steelheads peppered the two Totems goaltenders with 45 shots. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 12/8/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 1 of 1 Junior Steelheads leading scorer loves to compete Lance Herning says beating lesser teams 'annoying' BY DICK DORF'MAN for The Star -News For three years, it was Macky Power, wearing number 19 for the Idaho Junior Steelheads, speedily skating up the right wing leading the charge into the opponents' zone. Now it is winger Lance Heming, wearing number 17, carrying the puck into the zone and putting pressure on the opposition. Herning, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound forward from St. Charles, III., loves to provide the spark as Power did. "I like to get into the other team's zone, hold onto the puck, and not let anyone get it from me," Heming said. He has kept the puck enough and worked with his teammates enough to have scored 18 goals to date, the most among anyone on the Junior Steelhead team. He also has 21 assists, and his point total of 39 also tops the team scoring list after 22 games played. Herning's high point of the season so far came on Nov. 20 against the Butte Cobras, where his hat trick provided three of the five Idaho goals in the 5-3 victory. Rao (e, The Stu News by Gary F Idaho Junior Steel head Lance Heming, shown here during a recent game, is the team's leading scorer so far this season. Herning celebrated his 19th birthday on Sept. 30, the season's opening night, with a goal and three assists against the Tahoe Icemen. The next night he added two goals and two assists, and in the Sunday game notched a goal for a total of nine points in the series at South Lake Tahoe. Rare Combination Head coach John Olver said Herning offers a rare combination of size, strength, power and skill. "Lance has made an immediate impact as a first -year player," Olver said. "He is a very powerful player and strong on his skates." Heming played the last two seasons with the Chicago Missions U18 program. His 22 goals and 17 assists for 39 points in 48 games over those two campaigns gives a preview of the scoring prowess he brings to the Junior Steelheads. "I want to play against the top teams in this league," he said. "The better the teams, the more fun it is. It gets annoying beating teams badly." Herning was born in Gretna, La., a suburb of New Orleans, and leamed to skate at age 4. His father, George Herning, never played hockey but loved the game. Born in Michigan, George was, and still is, a fan of the Detroit Red Wings. Herning is enjoying working on improving aspects of his game, especially shooting, stickhandling, and trying to get his speed up. "We do hard laps every day," he said. 'We have drills for shooting, and for extra practice, I shoots pucks at (Hunter) Lester's house, in his garage." Herning can't wait for the WSHL's Westem States Shoot -Out, which begins Dec. 17 in Las Vegas. The shoot-out pits some of the best teams in the WSHL against each other, and Idaho will probably face all of the other division leaders. Herning will get to display his skills for scouts from college hockey programs in hopes of being offered a scholarship. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 1 2/8/201 6 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 1 of 2 Junior Steelhads to face WSHL's top teams in four -day Las Vegas shoot-out Idaho will play Oklahoma, Long Beach, El Paso, Ontario BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Northwest Division -leading Idaho Junior Steelheads face a challenging Westem States Shootout in Las Vegas starting Saturday. The four games in four days will include contests against the top two teams in the Midwest Division of the Western States Hockey League and the first and third place clubs in the WSHL's Western Division. Coach John Olver s team, with the league's best record (22-0-2, 46 pts., .958) will play the Oklahoma City Blazers (17-2, 34 pts., .895) on Saturday. Sunday will feature a tilt with long-time rival El Paso Rhinos (22-4-1, 45 pts..833). On Monday, Idaho will take on the Long Beach Bombers (22-3, 44 pts., .880). The Junior Steelheads will finish the shootout on Tuesday against the Ontario Avalanche (19-9, 38 pts., .679). Games will be played at the Las Vegas Ice Center and SoBe Ice Arena. All games will count in the regular season standings. The games are particularly important to the Junior Steelheads, as they battle for home ice advantage in the playoffs. Home ice is determined by end of regular season standings points, and the four Junior Steelhead opponents in the Shootout figure to be teams in the mix. "The Shootout will be a big test," Olver said. "We want to see which of our players will step up against better competition." Olver knows Idaho will face teams in the which are more dangerous offensively. "We fully expect them to capitalize on our mistakes," he said. "Our goaltenders will have to step up, too." Instead of the usual three 20-minute periods, Shootout games will consist of two 25-minute halves. Should games be tied at the end of regulation, overtime and then a shootout will determine the winner. The players also have an incentive to compete well because the Shootout will be attended by scouts from college hockey teams who are looking for prospects to award scholarships. Game Previews SATURDAY - OKLAHOMA CITY BLAZERS The Blazers, who came within an overtime goal of facing the Junior Steelheads in the Thorne Cup finals last season, have lost just two games. Coach Tyler Fleck's club ran off 14 straight wins to start their Midwest Division campaign. The Blazers average 6.16 goals per game and have allowed 2.32. Tomas Rubes (Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic) leads the team with 15 goals and 30 points. Victor Ekk (Moscow, Russia) has 20 assists and 5 goals. Kirill Romanov (Moscow, Russia) has 27 points, and Ivan Bondarenko (Moscow, Russia) has 25. The Blazers have two new goaltenders. Drennen Atherton (Winter Haven, Fla.) has won nine games and posted a goals -against average of 1.90 and save percentage of .935. League veteran Phil Babb (Old Tappan, N.J.) is 4-1 with 2.41 goals allowed and a .886 save percentage. SUNDAY - EL PASO RHINOS The Junior Steelheads long-time rival El Paso, coached by Cory Herman, has rebounded after an off year last year to once again lead the Midwest Division in points. The Rhinos started with 13 straight wins El Paso is the only team to take a Thorne Cup away from Idaho in the last seven years. The Rhinos have already scored 200 goals, averaging 7.41 goals per game. 54 of those goals came against Arizona in a three game series to open the season. The Rhinos are allowing 2.22 per game for the second best goal differential in the league at 5.19 Forward Chaseton Sare (Regina, Sask.) leads the team with 40 assists and 63. Alex Johanson (Skokie, III.) follows closely with 28 goals and 62 points. The Rhinos goaltending is now in the hands of former Southern Oregon Spartan, Tymen Edelkoort III http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 12/15/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 2 of 2 (Smithville, Ont.), who has won 14 games (1.95, .929) and Brendon Cytulik (Framingham, Mass.) who has won 7 (2.93, .887). MONDAY - LONG BEACH BOMBERS The Bombers, who were defeated by the Junior Steelheads in last season's semi-final series, lead the Western Division by four points over Valencia. The Bombers of Coach Chris White have made the complete joumey over the last few years to the top of the division. Long Beach has also scored exactly 200 goals coming into the Shootout, with 110 of those goals coming in three three -game series against Fresno, Phoenix, and Arizona. The Bombers lead with their 8.00 goals per game scoring, and have allowed exactly 2.00 per game, for the league's best differential of 6.00. Nikita Nikitin (Moscow, Russia) leads the team with 49 points. Anton Bowalius (Gothenburg, Sweden) has 35 assists and 46 points. Roman Serafimovich (Vitebsk, Belarus) leads with 20 goals and 44 points. Robert Roslund (Trollhattan, Sweden) also has 44 points. In goal for Long Beach, Domenic Bosetti (Long Beach, Calif.) and Max Barr (Wilmington, Mass.) are tied with 11 wins each. Bosetti s has allowed 1.72 goals per game while Barr has given up 2.28 goals per game. Opponents need to be wary of the Long Beach penalty killing unit. The Bombers have scored 17 shorthanded goals while allowing only 12 power play goals. TUESDAY - ONTARIO AVALANCHE The Avalanche, under new Head Coach Rob O'Rourke, are having its best WSHL season to date and are solidly in third place in the Western Division. After a season -opening loss to Valencia, Ontario ran off 11 straight wins, only to lose the next six, then win the next six, lose two more to Valencia, and then beat Long Beach twice this last weekend. The Avalanche are scoring 5.50 goals per game, but allowing 3.36. They feature a true scoring trio, ranked 3-4-5 in the league. Filip Ullgren (Norrkoping, Sweden) has a scoring line of 28 goals and 33 assists. Filip Stensson (Norrkoping, Sweden) is at 18 goals and 41 assists, while Manuel Mancha (Rosemead, Calif.) has contributed 23 goals and 33 assists. Filip Subrt (Martin, Slovakia) has seen the most goaltender time and is second in the league with 15 wins (2.78, .912). http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php l 2/15/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 1 of 1 Junior Steelhead Plllya plans to seize opportunity Center comes from Belarus, which has limited prospects BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News To talk with Idaho Junior Steelheads center Alex Piliya you just sense that he is happy to be on the team. Joining the Junior Steelheads has given him opportunities not available in home country of Belarus. "In Belarus, there is no future for good young players," Piliya said The national team in Minsk had seven Canadians who obtain dual citizenship, he said. The professional Kontinental Hockey League team in Minsk has lots of Swedes and Finns. Piliya acknowledges that he was lucky. Starting at the U15 level, coaches liked him, and he was able to advance. His joy has translated into a tremendous performance to start the WSHL season. Piliya leads the team with 29 assists to go along with his none goals, and his 38 points are second to Lance Herning's 39. Taking the view that in Belarus, there are few good junior coaches, Piliya says he trusts Junior Steelheads Head Coach John Olver, and listens to him. He says the Westem States Hockey League is like a pro league to him. Ph". fa The SouNea+q' Guy F mm Idaho Junior Steelheads center Alex Piliya is relishing the opportunities on the ice in the U.S. not afforded in his native Belarus. "Alex is an extremely skilled player," Olver said of his 5 foot 11, 170 pound players. "He dances on his skates. He can turn on a dime," Olver said. "He has the puck on his stick the most time of any of our players. He wants the puck and is a tremendous playmaker." Piliya's deft hands and stickhandling abilities are reminiscent of former Junior Steelheads Stefan Brucato and Elliot Lorraine. He is able to skate smoothly through and around opposing players on the ice to set up plays. 'If you want to play at a high level, you need to have good skills," he said. "To help my hands, 1 was always stickhandling with golf balls and tennis balls." "I'm not a big size. I need good speed and to be a good skater," Piliya said. European rinks are larger than many in the United States and there is more space in which to maneuver and more passing to the European style of play. Alex says he likes the smaller rinks in the U.S. but figures he still needs more time to fully assimilate into the different style. Piliya started skating at the age of 8. As a young toy, he loved soccer, and still plays soccer whenever he can. He reports that it was his grandfather who deemed that his grandson would play hockey. To help fulfill Grandpa's dream, the Junior Steelheads playmaker wants to play American college Division 1 hockey, and he would prefer whichever school he attends to be in one of America's big cities. 'Alex has come to the United States with the goal of playing college hockey," Olver said. "His skill set translates very well to the college game." Piliya will turn 20 years old next April 13. That day will be the Thursday before what the Junior Steelheads hope will be another Thome Cup -clinching weekend. Back http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 12/15/2016 Star -News News Jr. Steelheads Page Page 1 of 1 Junior Steelheads crap out in Vegas Idaho loses three °flour games in Western States Shoot -Out BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News After playing with house money for the first half of the 2016-17 season, the Idaho Junior Steelheads crapped out at the Western States Shoot -Out in Las Vegas last weekend. The Junior Steelheads lost three out of four games play against the top teams in Western States Hockey League, including two shut -outs. The weekend started with a 125-minute scoring drought, including identical 3-0 losses to Oklahoma City and El Paso on Saturday and Sunday. They were the first losses in regulation of the season for Idaho and the first shutouts against the Junior Steelheads in six years. Against Long Beach on Monday, the Idaho team couldn't score until last second of the first half against Long Beach before losing 6-5 in a shootout. The Junior Steelheads righted the ship in Tuesday's finale, defeating Ontario 4-2. Mae M NO. Trove Junior Steelhead Fredrick Lindquist (is) battles for the puck with Kyle Cagnoni (27) of the Oklahoma City Blazers during Saturday's game in Las Veags. The Las Vegas event, which this year drew 85 college hockey scouts, has been a struggle for Idaho the past two years. Last year, the Junior Steelheads also won just one of four contests, all decided by one goal. This year's toumament was a learning experience for the team to see where they have to improve to succesfully defend their Thome Cup title, Assistant Coach Assistant Coach Jake Klancher said. The Idaho team (23-2-3) will take a break for the holidays to regroup and then return home to the friendly confines of Manchester Ice and Event Centre to play the Southern Oregon Spartans Jan. 13-15 The Spartans will provide the stiffest competition to the Junior Steelheads from within the WSHL Northwest Division in the second half of the season http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/steelies_page.php 12/22/2016 McCall, ID 35 aF Light Snow at C2,51 PM Lead Story IDAHO JR. STEELHEADS—THURSDAY. JANUARY 12, 2017 Main News Opinion Arts/Events Junior Steelheads return home Outdoors/Rec to face tough Southern Oregon team Junior Steelheads Sports/Schools Of Record Idaho will need to shut down top -scoring Selo brothers on Spartans Groups Info Desk BY DICK DORFMAN Announcements for The Star -News Public Notices The top two teams in the Northwest Division of the WSHL will test each other this weekend as the Idaho Junior Steelheads return to home ice to host the Southern Oregon Spartans. Games on Friday and Saturday will begin at 7 p.m. at Manchester Ice and Events Centre in McCall. Sunday's game has a later -than -normal 5 p.m. p.m. start due to the Marthin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. The Spartans lead the Northwest Division of the Western States Hockey League with a record of 24 wins, five losses, and two overtime losses for 50 points in 31 games and a winning percentage of .806. The Junior Steelheads find themselves in the unfamiliar position of second place in the division with 23 wins, two losses, and three overtime losses. That is good for 49 points and winning percentage of .875. The Junior Steelheads are coming off a 1-2-1 record at the Western States Shootout in Las Vegas in mid -December. The Spartans had a slightly better time in Vegas, losing to El Paso and Oklahoma City as Idaho did, and beating Ontario, as Idaho did. Shootout Edge ,,.m WSHLscoring leader Chris Seto will come to town this weekend with the division -leading Southern Oregon Spartans to face the Ida ho.ltin ior Steelheads. But the Spartans did get an edge with a 3-2 shootout victory over Ogden while the Junior Steelheads lost a shootout to Long Beach. Southern Oregon has replaced the defunct Missoula Maulers as the only serious challenger in the Northwest Division. Idaho and Southern Oregon likely will finish 1-2 at the end of the regular season and earn first round byes in the playoffs. The teams will face each other again for three games in Medford Feb. 24-26. Southern Oregon has been building up to this opportunity for a number of years. The Spartans and the Seattle Totems, who will come to McCall for three games Jan. 20-22, joined the WSHL in the 2012-13 season. They had been champions in the former Northern Pacific Hockey League, which folded last year. The Spartans finished second in the Northwest Division in 2012-13 and participated in the Thorne Cup tournament in McCall. At that time, the team was going through head coaches faster than water through a Zamboni machine, and the distress continued through the following season. Things for the franchise have really stabilized for the Southern Oregon franchise under Head Coach David Cole, now in his third season at the Spartan helm, and he has fashioned a challenger. Dual Threat To fend off the Spartans threat, the Junior Steelheads will have to stop, or at least contain, the brother scoring duo of Chris and Cameron Seto, who hail from Surrey, B.C. Chris Seto, the younger brother at 19 years old, leads the WSHL in goals with 46, which is 15 more than Alex Johanson (Skokie, III.) of El Paso. Chris Seto also leads the league in points with 78 as well as points per game with 2.52 Chris Seto has earned points in all but two of the 31 games he has played. He has had five three -goal games and one four -goal game. Last year he scored 101 points for the Spartans in 51 games, then added six points in four playoff contests. Don Bailey Jr. Steelheads Index • No related stones Back To Current Edition Older brother Cameron Seto joined the Spartans this season after playing last season for the Fresno Monsters. Cameron Seto is currently ninth in league scoring with 18 goals and 38 assists, for 56 points and a 1.81 points per game average, better than the 1.71 per game he scored for Fresno a year ago. The 64 goals between them so far this year represent 47 percent of all Spartans goals. Their 134 points are 39 percent of the team total. By comparison, the top two Junior Steelhead goal scorers are Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.) with 20 goals, and Lance Herning (St. Charles, III.) with 19 goals. The Junior Steelheads feature a much more balanced offense for the Spartans to defend As in any series, goaltending will be a key, and both teams feature excellent netminders. Idaho's Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine) has the league's second best goals giving up just 1.71 per game and third -ranked save percentage of 93.6 percent. Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio) starts the second half of the season for Idaho with a 2.54 per game average and 89.2 percent of shots saved For the Spartans, Mark Vlahovic (Ljubljana, Slovenia) returns to league action with a 2.37 per -gave average and a save percentage of 93 percent after some impressive play for his country at the IIHF World Junior Championship. He splits time with Austin Toussaint (Fargo, N.D.), who has fashioned a 2.65 per game average and a 91 percent save rate. Back To Index/Menu Back To Current Edition © Copyright 2009-2017 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All rights reserved Lead Story IDAHO JR. STEELHEADS—THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2017 Main News Opinion Arts/Events Back on Track Outdoors/Rec McCall, ID 35 "F Light Snow .cazist PM AdWsoryI ellek far Forecaer Junior Steelheads Sports/Schools Junior Steelheads sweep Spartas to seize first place in W,SNL NW division Of Record Groups BY DICK DORFMAN Info Desk for The Star -News Announcements Public Notices Current Edition With an impressive three -game sweep against Southern Oregon on home ice last weekend, the Idaho Junior Steelheads marked their territory as first place in the Northwest Division of the Western States Hockey League. The Junior Steelheads also served notice to the vanquished Spartans to "catch us if you can" by the end of the regular season. Idaho defeated the Spartans by scores of 5-2, 3-0, and 4-2, led by great defense and great goal -tending by Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa. Ukraine) in all three games, and enough offense to send the Spartans back to Medford to await a three game re -match at The Madhouse Feb. 24-26. "Our forwards back -checked very well and helped the defense out," Head Coach John Olver said. Olver was particularly pleased his team kept WSHL scoring leader Chris Seto (Surrey, B.C.) to a total of one goal and two assists for the weekend. • Mow for Tlx Star News by Gary En. Junior Steelhead Cory MrClintick (2o) makes a shot on Spartans goaltender Brett Akins (39) during Saturday's game in McCall. "With 5-on-5 skating, we shut him down," Olver said. "We matched Davidsson and Hoffman against him Friday and Sunday, and Apfelbaums in place of Hoffman on Saturday." The Junior Steelheads now lead the second -place Spartans in the Northwest Division by five points (55 to 50). The Junior Steelheads remain tied with the Ogden Mustangs for the second best percentage in the league (.887), just behind the Long Beach Bombers (_891). Ogden will visit McCall for a three -game showdown February 10-12. The Seattle Totems make their annual regular season visit to McCall for games this weekend against Idaho at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Seattle split with Vancouver last weekend, with both scores 6-2. The Totems are in a playoff position in fifth place in the division with 22 points in 31 games. Game Summaries IDAHO 5, SOUTHERN OREGON 2 It didn't take long to get the party started Friday night before 175 fans at Manchester Ice. At 1:13 into the game, Alex Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus) tipped in a centering pass from Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.) to give the Junior Steelheads the early lead they lacked in the four games at the Western States Shootout. At the 13:04 mark, Jacob Heza (Sternberk, Czech Republic) sent a long pass up the ice to Lance Herning (St. Charles, III), who fed Fredrik Lindqvist (Norrtalje, Sweden) for the score to make it 2-0. Two minutes later, Spartan goaltender Mark Vlahovic (Ljubljana, Slovenia), who also played the entire series, couldn't control a rebound, and Hunter Lester (Boise) made him pay with the third goal of the period. With 1:07 remaining, defenseman Jonathan Davidsson (Hiroo, Sweden) blasted a drive from the blue line past Vlahovic to cap a 4-0 outburst. Southern Oregon got on the board with a power play goal 5:43 into the second period, then cut the lead to 4-2 with a shorthanded goal 7:25 into the third period. The Junior Steelheads capped off the scoring on a fluky goal by Kindred with 2:27 left in the game. The puck flipped up in the air and went into the net off the back of Spartan Cameron Seto (Surrey, B. C.) Pysarenko had to make only 11 saves to earn the win, as the dominant Idaho defense held the Spartans to just five shots on goal in the first period, five again in the second, and only three in the third. The Junior Steelheads rattled off 35 shots at Vlahovic. IDAHO 3, SOUTHERN OREGON 0 Jr. Steelheads Index • No related stories Back To Current Edition f Pysarenko was even more stellar on Saturday night, saving all 19 Spartans shots for his fourth shutout and 14th win of the year. The Junior Steelheads increased their shot production to 40, with three going in the net. Defenseman Kyrylo Zhovnir (Kiev, Ukraine) notched his first goal as a Junior Steelhead 7:45 into the game, skating in from the blue line to ram home the rebound from a Rei Kikuchi (Tomakomai, Japan) shot. Idaho controlled the puck in the Southern Oregon zone at the beginning of the third period, and at 2:28, Herning blasted a shot from mid -zone that found twine. Then, with 2:46 left in the contest, just seconds after the Spartans had pulled goalie Vlahovic in favor of an extra attacker, Herning picked up a loose puck and scored into the empty net from the right blue line. The Junior Steelheads held the Spartans to just three first period shots. The visitors doubled that in the second frame, then tried Pysarenko 10 times in the third. The game marked the return of defenseman Jack York (Boise) to the Junior Steelheads. A veteran contributor to the last two Thorne Cup championships, York had started this season with the Kemptville 73s of the Central Canada Hockey League in the province of Ontario. He had a goal and four assists in 37 games. IDAHO 4, SOUTHERN OREGON 2 The Spartans got the first goal on Sunday, scoring on a power play 5:10 into the contest. The Junior Steelheads tied the game 12:24 in, with Piliya skating in close to the net and beating Vlahovic to his glove side. In the second period it was virtually all -Idaho, as Kindred accepted a pass from Lester at the doorstep and poked in the puck at 4:18. At 531, Heza skated through traffic into the middle and got the puck to Oleg Losev (Moscow, Russia), who achieved his eighth goal of the season to make it 3-1. Southern Oregon was held to just five shots in the second period as they battled to salvage a game in the series. At 10:12 into the third period, Tyler Berndt (Fond du Lac, Wisc.) got a wrap -around goal, shoving the puck past Vlahovic's left skate from the side of the net to wrap up Idaho's scoring. With just five minutes left, the Spartans finally got a goal, but it took a collision involving three Junior Steelheads to free up the puck. Chris Seto collected the puck, then skated into the Idaho zone before wristing a shot from mid -zone past Pysarenko. The standout Junior Steelhead goalie made 20 saves in this sweep -clinching contest to get his 15th win. His average of 1.64 goals per game is second in the WSHL to Vladimir Cibulka (Bratislava, Slovakia) of Ogden at 1.63. Back To Index/Menu Back To Current Edition m Copyright 2009-2017 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All rights reserved McCall, ID 35 of Light Snow n 02151 PM AdYisoryi %Iv )1 Click ler Peroran Lead Story IDAHO JR. STEELHEADS—THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017 Main News Opinion Arts/Events Junior Steelheads sweep Outdoors/Rec Seattle with barrage of pucks Junior Steelheads Sports/Schools Of Record Idaho topples Totem by scores of 11-0, 9-0, 7-1 Groups Info Desk BY DICK DORFMAN Announcements for The Star -News Public Notices t Edition The Idaho Junior Steelheads trounced the Seattle Totems by scores of 11-0, 9-0, and 7-2 in McCall last weekend. The series sweep preserved Idaho's five -point lead in the Western Idaho Hockey League's Northwest Division over the Southern Oregon Spartans. "We did what we had to do against Seattle," head coach John Olver said. In all, the Idaho team amassed 27 goals and 52 assists on the series. "We're glad we came through the weekend without any injuries, and now, after the idle weekend coming up, we can focus on the two very challenging series," Olver said. Thule rat The SW -New'• by Guy fNu Junior Steel head Chris Hunt (9) fires a puck past Junior Totems goalie Rasmus Mortensen 01) fora score during Saturdays game in McCall. The Totems kept it close in the first period of each game last weekend, but the Junior Steelheads dominated play in the final two frames to come away with the one-sided victories. Seattle was playing with a short bench with 14 players, far from a full roster. Plus, Friday's game was delayed 75 minutes waiting for the Totems to arrive through bad weather. The Junior Steelheads will take their 29 win, 2 loss, 3 overtime loss record on the road against the up- and-coming Utah Outliers in West Valley City, Utah, Feb. 3-5. Idaho will then come home to McCall to host Ogden in a key three -game set for Feb. 10-12. Game Summaries IDAHO 11, SEATTLE 0 The home team got the point parade going on Friday before 120 fans with goals within a minute of each other. At 7:03, defenseman Kyrylo Zhovnir (Kiev, Ukraine) blistered a shot from the blue line inside the left shoulder of Seattle goaltender Liam Bohm -Meyer (Edmonton, Alberta). A minute later, after a Totem slashing penalty, Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.) took advantage with a power play goal for a 2-0 first period lead. The Floodgates opened in the second 20 minutes, as the Junior Steelheads pounded six goals, beginning at 5:01 with Fredrik Lindqvist (Norrtalje, Sweden) notching his 10th of the season. Jacob Hedencrona (Stockholm, Sweden) followed with his 16th at the 8:22 mark. Zhovnir launched another blue -line special into the net at 10:48, and Oleg Losev got his ninth goal on a power play at 13:21 to make it 6-0. This ended Bohm-Meyer's night in goal, and he was replaced by Rasmus Mortensen (Odense, Denmark), who was making his first appearance since coming to the Totems from Utah. The new netminder was greeted 100 seconds later by Losev's second successive goal, and Lance Herning (St. Charles, III.) wrapped up the period with 1:02 left with another power play tally. Herning did the deja vu with another power -play goal 2:04 into the third period to make it 9-0. Rei Kikuchi (Tomakomai, Japan) got the first of his three weekend goals 11:37 in, and Chris Hunt his first of three at 13:12 to make the final 11-0. While the Junior Steelheads were firing 59 shots on the Seattle goalie tandem, Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio) was turning aside all 11 shots he faced for his third shutout and ninth win of the year IDAHO 9, SEATTLE 0 Saturday night, the Junior Steelheads did the Totems a favor, loaning them forwards Alex Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus) and Dominic Puzevic (Mattawan, Mich.) and defenseman Kyle Hoffman (Issaquah, Wash.) for the final two games of the series Don Bailey Jr. Steelheads Index • No related stories Back To Current Edition t The move brought back memories of the time when Junior Steelheads goaltender Victor Olafsson wound up playing goal for Seattle in a playoff game because of injuries to the two netminders they had for the contest. On this night, before a crowd of 200, Matthews faced twice the shots (23) he had the night before, and he doubled his pleasure with shutout number four and win number 10. Meanwhile, the Idaho team took 45 shots on Mortenson and his third period replacement Austin Alarcon (Corona, Calif.) Tyler Berndt (Fond du Lac, VYisc.) scored 3:42 into the game after Chris Hunt (Albany, New York) made a great pass. Then Hunt was the recipient of a Ty Cousineau (Minnetonka, Minn.) pass and scored his first goal of a productive seven point weekend. The wheels fell off for Seattle again in the second period. Hunter Lester (Boise) garnered his 11th goal of the year at 5:29, followed by Kikuchi and Hedencrona goals before the end of the period. In the third, the Junior Steelheads got four goals within the first six minutes. Jack York (Boise) got his first goal since re -joining the team at 1:02, followed by another Losev tally at 4:14, Kikuchi's second of the game at 5:37, and a Herning marker just eight seconds later when the Seattle defense coughed up the puck. IDAHO 7, SEATTLE 2 Sunday afternoon, before a crowd of about 100, the Totems got their first goal of the series, and it was loaned -player Puzevic who scored on Idaho goaltender Brenden Leise (Seattle, Wash.). The Junior Steelheads tied it with a Berndt goal eight minutes in, then took a two goal lead on tallies by Kindred and Dylan Rallis (Minneapolis, Minn.). Seattle cut the first period lead to 3-2 with a score with 21.7 seconds left in the frame. It was all Junior Steelheads after that. Kindred, Jacob Heza (Sternberk, Czech Republic), and Lester scored in the second period, and Hunt capped the weekend romp with a pretty shot from mid -zone to make the final 7-2. Leise saved 19 of the 21 shots that came his way, and remained perfect on the season with his fourth victory. The Junior Steelheads took 48 shots on Alarcon, who started and finished for the Totems. Back To Index/Menu Back To Current Edition O Copyright 2009-2017 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All rights reserved Contact Us Place Classified View Classified Ads Arts/Events Outdoors/Rec Jr. Steelheads LettersNiiewpoints Sports/Schools Of Record Public Notices Groups Info Desk Calendar Announcements -.11 I'r' IIRCHNES tY LISTINGS td �11 A convenient, classified collection of all the ads In this week's edition plus links to online versions of Alhertsons, Rite Aid and all our weekly sale ads DON'T MISS THE DEALS! McCall, ID 36 of Overcast at 01151 PRI Advisorvi Click for Forneaer IDAHO JR. STEELHEADS—THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 2, 2017 Junior Steelheads to travel to Salt Lake City to take on Utah Outliers Dormer Moose team has won 16 of Iasi 17 games BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads resume Western States Hockey League action this weekend with a three -game road trip against the Utah Outliers. The Junior Steelheads will visit the Accord Ice Arena in West Valley City, Utah, to take on the team formerly known as Salt Lake City Moose, which has won 16 of its last 17 games. The Junior Steelheads' record of 29 wins, two regulation losses, and three overtime losses puts the team at the top of the league. The Outliers, which started their season 0-6-1, have been on a tear since beating in -state rival Ogden twice before the Western States Shootout in Las Vegas in December. Utah is coached by Paul Taylor, who has his dub in third place (23-14-3) in the Mountain Division. The Outliers' leading scorer is forward Matt Culot (Billerica, Mass.), who played in the WSHL last year for the Springfield Express. This season Culot has amassed 18 goals and leads the league in assists with 56 in 37 games. Nine of Culot's points came in one game. He had three goals and six assists in Utah's infamous 30-1 blowout of the Vail Powderhounds back on Nov. 4. Outliers forward Viktor Tiutchenko (Russia) joined the team at the Shootout in Las Vegas. He is averaging 2.81 points per game for his 16 game stint so far. Marcus Rudhage (Stockholm, Sweden) has taken over as Utah's primary goaltender. He sports a 3.57 goals against average and .894 save percentage. The Junior Steelheads will return home to face Ogden on Feb. 10-12 and then stay in McCall for a series against the Tahoe Icemen Feb. 17-19. Back To Index/Menu Bad( To Front Page © Copyright 2009-2017 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All rights reserved Jr. Steelheads Index • No related stones Back to Front Page cSQ--(,-4,:' c1ea)1 y(7-1(`7 141cCaa,ID 44 °F Overcast at 07151 PM elicit fir Fancait Lead Story ii)AHn IR STEELHEADS—THURSDNY FEBRUARY2.2017 Main News Opinion Arts/Events Junior Steelheads to travel to Outdoors/Rec Salt Lake City to take on Utah Outliers Junior Steelheads Sports/Schools Of Record Former //loose team has won 16 of last 17 games Groups Info Desk BY DICK DORFMAN Announcements for The Star -News Public Notices The Idaho Junior Steelheads resume Western States Hockey League action this weekend with a three -game road trip against the Utah Outliers. The Junior Steelheads will visit the Accord Ice Arena in West Valley City, Utah, to take on the team formerly known as Salt Lake City Moose, which has won 16 of its last 17 games. The Junior Steelheads' record of 29 wins, two regulation losses, and three overtime losses puts the team at the top of the league. The Outliers, which started their season 0-6-1, have been on a tear since beating in -state rival Ogden twice before the Western States Shootout in Las Vegas in December. Utah is coached by Paul Taylor, who has his club in third place (23-14-3) in the Mountain Division. The Outliers' leading scorer is forward Matt Culot (Billerica, Mass.), who played in the WSHL last year for the Springfield Express. This season Culot has amassed 18 goals and leads the league in assists with 56 in 37 games. Nine of Culot's points came in one game. He had three goals and six assists in Utah's infamous 30-1 blowout of the Vail Powderhounds back on Nov. 4. Outliers forward Viktor Tiutchenko (Russia) joined the team at the Shootout in Las Vegas. He is averaging 2.81 points per game for his 16 game stint so far. Marcus Rudhage (Stockholm, Sweden) has taken over as Utah's primary goaltender. He sports a 3.57 goals against average and .894 save percentage. The Junior Steelheads will return home to face Ogden on Feb. 10-12 and then stay in McCall for a series against the Tahoe Icemen Feb. 17-19. Back To IndexlMenu Back To Current Edition © Copyright 2009-2017 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All rights reserved Jr. Steelheads Index • No related stories Back To Current Edition Lead Story naHn IG STFELHEADS—THURSDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2017 Main News Opinion Arts/Events Junior Steelheads lose in double Outdoors/Rec OT to Utah to spoil sweep on the road Junior Steelheads Sports/Schools Of Record Idaho io play Ogden in McCall this weekend Groups Info Desk BY DICK DORFMAN Announcements for The Star -News Public Notices McCall, IO 44 °F Overcast at 07r51 PM The Idaho Junior Steelheads gained five out of a possible six points from a competitive three -game series against the Utah Outliers in West Valley City, Utah, last weekend. Coach John Olver's team dropped a 3-2 decision to the Outliers in double overtime on Friday night, then rebounded with identical 2-0 shutouts Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. "The intensity level was very high in all three games," Olver said. "We had to earn those points." "Oleg Losev (Moscow, Russia) played his best hockey of the year," he said. "And Arturo Apfelbaums (Riga, Latvia) really stepped up and had a really good weekend." The five points gives Idaho (31-2-4) a one point lead, 66 to 65, over the Southern Oregon Spartans (31-8-3) in the Northwest Division, with the Steelies having played five fewer games. Idaho continues with the best point percentage in the Western States Hockey League at .892. The Long Beach Bombers are second at .866. The Mountain Division -leading Ogden Mustangs, who come to McCall this weekend, are third at .851. The Mustangs will travel to Manchester Ice and Events Centre for games at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The Mustangs will make a return trip to McCall March 10-12 to fill in a gap in the schedule caused when the Whitefish Wolverines dropped out of the league, Olver announced. Game Summaries in,u" n. u.v" Wolf. Idaho Junior Steelheads goalie Sergei Pysarenko prepares to snag a puck from a shot made by a member of the Utah Outliers during Saturday's game at West Valley City, Utah. UTAH 3, IDAHO 2 - 20T On Friday night, the Junior Steelheads and Outliers got locked into a defensive struggle at the Acord Ice Arena. Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.) took advantage of a turnover three minutes into the game and beat Outliers goalie Marcus Rudhage (Stockholm, Sweden) to his right with the team first shot of the night. At 4:55 of the second period, Utah was penalized for too many men on the ice. Losev capitalized in the power play with a shot from just inside the blue line, and Chris Hunt tipped in the goal for his 10th of the year. Utah tied the game with two goals before the end of the period. The teams battled fiercely through a scoreless third period and first overtime. Less than a minute into double overtime, the Junior Steelheads were called for too many men on the ice. Viktor Tiutchenko then won the game for the Outliers by skating the length of the ice and beating Idaho goalie Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio) over his glove. The 18-year-old net -minder, who played for Utah last season, stopped 35 shots in all but could not turn away the last one. IDAHO 2, UTAH 0 Idaho's Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine), last year's leading goaltender in the WSHL, was up to his old tricks during Saturday's game. Pysarenko fashioned his fifth shutout of the season, making 28 saves while aided again by another strong effort by Idaho's defense. The offense did its job when Losev took a cross -ice pass from Jacob Hedencrona (Stockholm, Sweden) 14:03 into the game and blasted a shot from mid -zone. The game remained 1-0 from that point until just 19 seconds left in the contest when the Utah goaltender was pulled in favor of an extra attacker. .:,!heads index Back To Current Edition Kindred took Losev s pass and sent the puck from his own blue line into the empty net for his team - leading 27th goal of the season. IDAHO 2, UTAH 0 Sunday's game was a close copy of the Idaho victory from the night before. Idaho again got the only goal of the first. At 8:33, after a Utah dipping penalty, Losev skated up the middle of the ice from his own zone and tipped in his own rebound for his fourth power play goal of the season, and 13th overall. This time the Junior Steelheads didn't have to wait until the end of third period for their second goal. With just two -tenths of a second remaining in the second period, Tyler Berndt (Fond du Lac. Wisc.) fed big Jacob Heza (Sternberk, Czech Republic) in front of the net, then got credit for tipping in the rebound from Heza's shot. Pysarenko racked up his sixth shutout and 17th win, making 29 saves. His league -leading goals per game dropped from 1.64 to 1.46, and he now also leads all tenders with a .942 save percentage. Back To Index/Menu Junior Steelheads coach helps players round ow their education BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News As assistant coach of the Idaho Junior Steelheads, one might think the favorite topics of Jake Klancher, would be goals, assists and penalty kills. Instead, Klancher prefers to talk about getting his players into college. The educational goals of the two dozen members of the Junior A hockey team, ages 16 to 20, are as diverse as their backgrounds. Some have their sights set on professional hockey and are developing their skills to try and get paid to play in their native country or elsewhere. Other players are hoping to continue their careers in college. Whatever their goals, Klancher is dedicated to helping them succeed. The Western States Hockey League, of which the Junior Steelheads is a part, does not have specific educational requirements. Similarly, the state of Idaho has no requirements for the education of the teenagers who are part of the team. i r • Photo 'u Ifi, liar-Nca+M1y IA3 Selby Idaho.1u nior Steelheads players Sergel Pysarenko, left, and Alex Piliya review English phrasings with tutor Yvonne Fielder of Boise during a recent session. In past years, some players have attended Centennial and Timberline high schools in Boise during the season. This season, there are no Junior Steelheads attending high school as all but two players have already graduated. Those two players, goaltender Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio) and defenseman Tristan Phillips (Anchorage, Alaska) have been taking online courses. Online classes are more intensive than public high school classes, as students are quizzed after every few chapters, said Klancher, a 29-year-old former player serving in his first year as head coach John Olver's assistant. "If you don't stay up to date with assignments, you can get yourself in trouble," he said. "If you don't have the discipline or are not organized, you can hurt yourself academically." Added Tests All players hoping to advance to a college hockey team must take the usual admissions exams such as the SAT or the ACT. But European players looking to enroll at U. S. colleges also must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language. The test costs $190 in addition to the $60 fee for the SAT, something not all players can afford, Klancher said. Tutoring to pass the English exam also is expensive, at $50 per hour. Currently, goaltender Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine) and center Alex Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus) are being tutored in English each week. The players needed extra help, partly because English is not as prevalent in their home countries as it is elsewhere in Europe. The WSHL has staged seminars at the annual Western States Shootout in Las Vegas each December to encourage players and their families to interact with the college coaches and scouts who attend the tournament. Piliya attended one of the seminars this past December, and reported it had the added benefit of creating a sense of urgency among the players to complete their education. Klancher's role is to reinforce that sense of urgency. "My number one priority for the Junior Steelheads is getting kids into college," he said. The results speak for themselves. Alumni of the Junior Steelheads are attending colleges across the nation, from Boise to Williston, N.D., to New England. R41eCal , m 49 6F Cloudy ae 91 PM . -Armory! tar J Click for Feneelet Lead Story IDAHO JR. STEELHF_ADS—THURSDAY FEBRUARY'16 2017 Main News Opinion Arts/Events Mustangs buck off Junior Steelheads, Outdoors/Rec Win 2 of 3 games Junior Steelheads Sports/Schools Of Record Idaho wins on Friday, then falls on Saturday, ,Sunday Groups Info Desk BY DICK DORFMAN Announcements for The Star -News Public Notices The Idaho Junior Steelheads suffered a rare home series loss last weekend, dropping two of three games to the Ogden Mustangs. The series started well enough, as Idaho beat the Mustangs 3-1 on Friday night. The tide turned when the Mustangs came back Saturday night with two late third - period goals to win 2-1. Ogden then used three special teams goals - all by the same player - to take Sunday afternoon's finale 4-2. Despite the losses, the Junior Steelheads still sit atop the Western States Hockey League's Northwest Division., However, the Junior Steelheads win percentage dropped to .850 percentage, falling behind the Western Division - leading Long Beach Bombers, whose mark is now .875. This coming weekend the Junior Steelheads will host the improved Tahoe Icemen in a three game series at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. Moir los Iric sin-Na s by Max silve,eun Cascade Fire Chief Steven Hull and EMS Director Keri Donica help Katie Arvin and Bradi Donica practice loading Sage Way into an ambulance during a recent meeting of the.lunior Firefighter program. Friday and Saturday games are slated for 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoon's contest will start at 5 p.m. The Junior Steelheads outscored Tahoe by a combined 33-4 in the three season -opening games at South Lake Tahoe Game Summaries IDAHO 3, OGDEN 1 In front of about 300 fans on Friday, Ty Cousineau (Minnetonka, Minn.), got the weekend scoring for Idaho by taking the puck from a face-off and blasting a drive from the blue line past Ogden goaltender Vladimir Cibulka (Bratislava, Slovakia) 6:38 into the game. It was Cousineau's first goal of the season. At the 17:45 mark, Lance Heming (St. Charles, III.) took the puck away from a Mustang player, skated around the net to the goaltender's right and beat Cibulka with a 45 degree angle shot to give Idaho a 2-0 first period lead. Then, 5:15 into the second frame, a drive by defenseman Jonathan Karlsson (Karlskrona, Sweden) made its way into the net for a power play goal and a 3-0 home team lead. Ogden poked in a goal from in front of the net with four minutes left in the period, and that ended the scoring for the night. Goalie Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine) wound up making 32 saves on the night to earn his 18th win of the year for the Junior Steelheads. OGDEN 2, IDAHO 1 In the first period, each team took eight shots on goal and was assessed one penalty, but neither could score before a crowd of about 600 on Saturday. At 9:04 in the second period, the Junior Steelheads got a gift when Cibulka inadvertently passed the puck to Tyler Berndt (Fond du Lac, Wisc.), and the second -year Junior Steelhead made him pay by blasting the puck right back past him. Less than a minute later, Idaho co -captain Cory McClintick was called for tripping Ogden's leading scorer, Matus Spodniak (Liptovsky Mikulus, Slovakia), on his way to the goal, and Spodniak was awarded a penalty shot. Pysarenko guarded the goal closely as Spodniak approached on the shot and denied the score when Spodniak tried to sneak the puck through his legs. The game remained 1-0 until 14:18 into the third period. The Mustangs tied it on defenseman Matt Murphy's (London, Ontario) mid -zone drive past Pysarenko. At 16:37, Mustangs winger Henrik Axelsson (Dandyrd, Sweden) appeared to make contact with Pysarenko, edging him to the left corner of the goal as defenseman Ryan Mescali (Franklin, Tenn.) was shooting the puck into the net to Pysarenko's right. Don Bailey Jr. Steelheads Index Batt To Current Edition The three officials conferred, and the goal was allowed to stand with the ruling that an Idaho player had pushed Axelsson into Pysarenko. Pysarenko made 26 saves in his third loss of the season. Ogden outshot the Junior Steelheads for the second night in a row. OGDEN 4, IDAHO 2 In rubber match of the series in front of 175 people on Sunday, Idaho scored first again. Jacob Hedencrona (Stockholm, Sweden) , with his father on hand to watch, wristed a shot past Cibulka 5:59 into the game. At 13:26, Ogden's Max Dorfman (Cooper City. Tenn.), was called for cross-checking. Fifteen seconds later, Spodniak scored a short-handed goal to tie the game. The 1-1 score lasted until 6:36 of the second, as the Mustangs scored the only goal of the period. Then, 2:06 into the third stanza, Spodniak garnered a power play goal, making it 3-1 and putting pressure on the Junior Steelheads to respond. That response came a couple of minutes later, as Herning fed Alex Piliya (Vitebski, Belarus) in front of the net, and Piliya earned his 13th goal of the season. The Mustangs put the 4-2 victory away with another special teams goal by Spodniak with six minutes to go to complete his hat trick. Idaho goalie Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio) was able to save 24 of Ogden's 28 shots but came away with his first loss in regulation time for the season. The Mustangs will return to McCall for another three game series March 10-12. Back ToIndex/Menu WSHL playoff format puts Thorne Cup finals in Junior Steelheads won before home crowds lam iwo years BY DICK DORFMAN for t he Star -News If the Idaho Junior Steelheads make it to the Thorne Cup finals this season, it will not be in front of their home fans. The Western States Hockey League has announced it will return to a six -team round robin tournament format for the 2016-17 Thorne Cup finals. It is the format last used in the 2013-14 season and also in 2012-13, which the Junior Steelheads hosted on their way to the Thorne Cup title that year. The league is getting away from the Stanley Cup format utilized the last two seasons, where the Junior Steelheads hosted and won successive Thorne Cup championships. This year's finals will be held in Ogden, Utah, from April 12-16, at the Weber County Ice Sheet. Costs and logistics are the main reasons behind the change, Junior Steelheads coach John Olver said. "The league now spans half of the United States," Olver said. "It's getting tougher to play a playoff series final on a Sunday and then four days later have to get to someplace not determined beforehand." Another added benefit is that scouts from college hockey teams can view six teams in one location, he said. The Ogden Mustangs of the WSHL's Mountain Division be the host team and will get an automatic berth in the finals tournament. If the Mustangs win the Mountain Division playoffs, the runner-up team will also get an invitation to the finals under the new format. The other four teams will be the champions of the Western, Northwest, and Midwest divisions plus a wild -card team. Back To Index/Menu Bad< To Current Edition 0 Copyright 2009-2017 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All rights reserved Lead Story IDAHO JR STFFLHEADS—THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23 2017 Main News Opinion Arts/Events Junior Steelheads send pucks OutdoorslRec Junior Steelheads Sports/Schools Of Record Groups Info Desk Announcements Public Notices C anent Ldrnon McCall, ID 49 aF Mostly Cloudy at 06151 GM .4vrLutVl -j CIIeY ter Pasta. flying against Icemen, sweep 3-game series BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads pummeled the Tahoe Icemen, outscoring the visitors by a combined 22-5 to sweep the three -game series in McCall. Winning 9-1 on Friday, 5-2 on Saturday, and 8-2 on Sunday, the Junior Steelheads had 13 different players score goals, 19 different players earn assists, and 12 get at least one of each. Even goaltender Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio), who won the games on Friday and Sunday, got an assist. The WSHL Northwest Division -leading Steelies now turn their attention to the second place Southern Oregon Spartans as they travel to Medford for three games this weekend. 1,4.11or The Slat-Ncxv by Marv_ Enter Junior Steelhead Chris Hunt hits the ice after sending the puck into the next past Tahoe goalie Chad Phillipsen during Friday's game in McCa' II. Idaho's record is now 35 wins, four regulation losses, and four overtime losses for 74 points. The Spartans enter the weekend with a 31-10-4 mark, good for 66 points. The Junior Steelheads need only two wins in regulation over the weekend to clinch first -place and top seeding in the WSHL playoffs that start next month. "We'll be playing a team that is a respected division rival and who still has a chance move past us," Coach John Olver said. "Their record at home is impressive," Olver said. "We have to face their potent offense. In January, when the two teams faced off in McCall, the Junior Steelheads shut down the Spartans offense led by the Seto brothers of Surrey, EC , holding league -leading scorer Chris Seto to just one goal and two assists IDAHO 9, TAHOE 1 The Junior Steelheads juggemaut started early Friday night in front of 300 fans at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. Just 2:52 into the game, Idaho's Lance Herning (St. Charles, III.) scored an unassisted short-handed goal 10 seconds after Tyler Berndt (Fond du Lac, Wisc.) was called for tripping. Before the first period ended, Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.), Berndt, and Jacob Hedencrona (Stockholm, Sweden) all had lit the lamp for a 4-0 home team lead. In the second period, Chris Hunt (Albany, N.Y.) notched a power play goal 8:25 in. The Icemen then scored what was to be their only goal of the game. Ivan Radetskiy (Kiev, Ukraine) stared a productive weekend with a tally at 10:20. Three Junior Steelhead goals within three minutes of each other marked the second period for the home team. Defenseman Jack York (Boise) posted a power -play goal followed by goals by Dylan Rallis (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Alex Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus). Rei Kikuchi (Tomakomai, Japan) scored the only third -period goal, 2:49 into the frame, to seal the final score at 9-1. Matthews had to make only 12 saves to get his 11th win. IDAHO 5, TAHOE 2 The Icemen held the Junior Steelheads to a scoreless tie for over half the game before 600 fans on Saturday. Hunt earned his second goal of the weekend just past the midway point of the second period. At 11:29, Fredrik Lindqvist (Norrtalje, Sweden) got credit for a goal by being the closest Junior Steelhead to the net when Tahoe's Danil Alekseichuk (Kiev, Ukraine) inadvertently sent the puck into his own team's cage. Kikuchi followed with a goal at 15:41 to give Idaho a 3-0 lead at the end of two. Kikuchi put in his second goal with 13:05 expired in the third period. Jr. Steelheads Index Back To Current Edition Hunter Lester (Boise), inching closer to becoming the Junior Steelheads all-time leading goal scorer, made it 5-0 with a power play tally at 14:17. Radetskiy kept the Icemen from being shut out with two short-handed goals, making the final 8-2. Idaho Sergei Pysarenko saved 17 of the 19 shots he faced, getting his 19th win of the season and continuing to establish his league -leading goalie stats. IDAHO 8, TAHOE 2 For two periods Sunday before a crowd of 300, Tahoe's hopes of salvaging points in the series were on track. The Junior Steelheads scored first, as defenseman Brandon VanOphem (Washington Township, Mich.) took his best shot of the year, blasting the puck from mid -zone. Tahoe tied the match at 1-1 on a goal by Colton Langowski (Anchorage, Alaska) scored at 13:12. It was the same scenario in the second period. York put a shot through the Tahoe goalie's legs to notch a goal on his 20th birthday. Radetskiy tied the game at 2-2 for Tahoe with a little under three minutes to go in the period. Then the Idaho scoring machine decimated Tahoe's hopes with a Herning goal from the side of the net just 42 seconds into the third period. At 8:54 Herning put in a rebound of a York shot, and at 10:06, Kindred's shorthanded goal, making it 5-2. Jonathan Karlsson (Karlskrona, Sweden) got official credit for a goal on which he collaborated with Hunt. Kindred poked in the rebound of a VanOphem shot at 15:24, and nine seconds later, Kindred finished the scoring for the weekend to make it 8-2. Matthews again faced single digit Tahoe shots in each period and came away with 14 saves and his 12th win. Back To Index/Menu Back To Current Edition © Copyright 2009-2017 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All rights reserved McCall, ID 49 of Mostly Cloudy a! 06101 PM AvisofyI Arai j r'IIrk fer Fermat Lead Story IDAHO JR STEELHEADS—THURSDAY. MARCH 2. 2017 Main News Opinion Arts/Events Seven Straight Outdoors/Rec Back To Current Edition Don Badev Jr. Steelheads index Junior Steelheads Sports/Schools Of Record Groups Info Desk Announcements Public Notices Junior Steelheads clinch NW division after .sweeping Spnriarm BY DICE: DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads are regular season WSHL division champions for a seventh straight season after sweeping a three game series against the Southern Oregon Spartans last weekend. Coach John Olver's team beat the Spartans at their "Medford Madhouse" 5-2 on Friday night, then followed up with a 4-3 victory on Saturday night to clinch the Northwest Division crown. The Steelies' 4-1 win on Sunday afternoon to finish the brooming ran their record to 38 wins, 4 regulation losses, and 4 overtime losses in 46 games. "We overwhelmed them," Olver said. "They didn't have an answer for us. All our lines and pairings worked." Saturday's game was the most exciting game of the year, with the winning goal coming on a power play late in the game. "The most positive thing about the weekend was seeing our team come together." assistant coach Jake Klancher said. "They were selfless, and they were playing for each other." Idaho finished second in the Western Division in their inaugural 2009-10 season, then has reigned atop whichever division the team has been in ever since. In all those years but one, when Olver was not the coach, the Junior Steelheads won their division playoffs and the Thorne Cup. The series marked the Junior Steelheads debut of John DeRoche, an 18-year old center from Lynnfield, Mass., who had started the year with Cedar Rapids in the USHL and played recently for the Topeka Roadrunners of the NAHL. This weekend the Junior Steelheads go back to the west coast to take on the fourth place Vancouver Rangers in Vancouver, Wash. The final home series of the regular season for the division champs will be against the Ogden Mustangs March 10-12 at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. Game Summaries FRIDAY Mom by Rod, ua„ry ,I a nior Steelhead Dylan Rallis 08) battles for the puck with a Southern Oregon player during Sunday's game in Medford. IDAHO 5, SOUTHERN OREGON 2 On his second shift on the ice on Friday, DeRoche skated in toward the net, took his first shot as a Junior Steelhead, and wristed it underneath the crossbar over the shoulder of Spartan goaltender Mark Vlahovic (Ljubljana, Slovenia) The goal came with just 3:53 gone in the contest. The goal energized the team, Olver said. "Getting a goal scorer was something we needed," he said. The visitors untied a 1-1 game with a power play 8:55 in. The Junior Steelheads made it 3-1 before the end of the period as Dylan Rallis (Minneapolis, Minn.), scored from the slot with 4:11 left. DeRoche, who came up through the Boston Junior Bruins youth program, got the only goal of the second period. Southern Oregon cut the lead to 4-2, but the Junior Steelheads iced the 5-2 victory when Oleg Losev (Moscow, Russia) got the puck at his own goal line and rifled it all the way down the rink for an empty net goal with 1:23 left in the game. Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine) played well in goal for Idaho, turning aside 28 of the 30 shots he faced to earn his 21st victory of the year. SATURDAY IDAHO 4, SOUTHERN OREGON 3 Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio) went between the pipes for Idaho in Saturday's see -saw game. • No related stories i With all but one minute elapsed in the first period, Jonathan Davidsson (HOn&, Sweden) got the Junior Steelheads on the board with a power play drive from the blue line. Southern Oregon countered with a power play tally 7:49 into the second period to tie the game, after which DeRoche scored 13:13 into the period. At 3:24 into the third period, Hunter Lester (Boise) fired a power play goal for his 14th of the season to break a tie. Lester's next goal will tie Macky Power for the all time team lead. With 1:02 left, Fredrik Lindqvist (Norrtalje, Sweden) skated toward the middle of the ice and blasted the puck over Toivola for the 4-3 lead and cemented Idaho's first place regular season spot. Matthews made 28 saves for his 13th win. SUNDAY IDAHO 4, SOUTHERN OREGON 1 With just 33 seconds gone in Sunday's finale, Ty Cousineau (Minnetonka, Minn.) shot a puck off the leg of Rei Kikuchi (Tomakomai, Japan) into the net for a quick 1-0 lead. DeRouche scored Less than four minutes later. Rallis sent the puck into the top left corner of the net with just 21 seconds left in the opening period. Three quarters of the way through the second period, Alex Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus) controlled the puck in the offensive zone and scored the game's final goal. The Junior Steelheads rode Pysarenko's 22 saves to the series sweep. Back To Index/Menu Back To Current Edition © Copyright 2009-2017 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All rights reserved McCall, ID 49 of Overcast at 04151 PM S Click for Fencar Lead Story IDAHO JR STEELHEADS—THURSDAY MARCH 9 2017 Main News Opinion Arts/Events Junior Steelheads easily sweep Outdoors/Rec Junior Steelheads Sports/Schools Of Record Groups Info Desk Rangers on the road Idaho returns home to Jcree Ogden in regular -season finale BY DICK DORFMAN Announcements for The Star -News Public Notices The Idaho Junior Steelheads completed a dominating series last weekend with a three -game sweep of the Vancouver Rangers in Vancouver, Wash. The Idaho team beat the Rangers 7-2 on Friday, 8-0 on Saturday, and 12-3 on Sunday to run their record to 41-4-4. Twelve different Idaho players scored goals, 16 got assists, and 11 earned at least one of each. Vancouver stayed with the Junior Steelheads for one period, a 2-2 tie in the first frame Friday night. But the Idaho defense and all three of the team's goaltenders combined to shut out the Rangers for seven straight periods plus eight minutes of the last period on Sunday. The Junior Steelheads return home this weekend for the final regular season games of the year before the Westem States Hockey League playoffs begin. Idaho will host the Ogden Mustangs at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Manchester Ice and Event Centre. The Mustangs beat the Junior Steelheads in two out of three games when the visited McCall in February. The Ogden team sits on top of the WSHL Mountain Division while the Junior Steelheads lead the Northwest Division. Friday IDAHO 7, VANCOUVER 2 Tyler Berndt (Fond du Lac, Wisc.) and Jack York (Boise) got two first -period goals for the Junior Steelheads Friday night within 33 seconds of each other. To break the 2-2 tie, Hunter Lester (Boise) poked in a rebound for the game -winning goal 8:31 into the second period, for his 14th goal of the season and 72nd of his career, tying Macky Power's all time Junior Steelheads record. Lester wasted little time in establishing a new Idaho record. His work around the net paid off in another rebound goal with 1:37 left in the period, giving the Junior Steelheads a 4-2 lead. With 7:15 into the third period, Lance Herning (St Charles, III.) got a crisp return pass on the end of a 3-on-1 rush and notched his 28th goal of the year. Less than a minute later, defenseman Brandon VanOphem (Washington Twp., Mich.) skated in toward the net on a power play to drive a rebound home and make the score 6-2. With four minutes left in the contest, Alex Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus) went top shelf, glove -side, for his 15th goal of the season to finish out the night's scoring. Goaltender Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio) picked up his 14th win of the season for the Junior Steelheads, making 37 saves on 39 Ranger shots. Aaron Daniello (Rockland, Maine) took the loss for Vancouver, earning 30 saves. Saturday IDAHO 8, VANCOUVER 0 It was another Saturday night shutout for Idaho goalie Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine). The Junior Steelheads veteran turned aside all 35 shots he saw to pick up his 7th shutout and 22nd victory of the season. Less than a minute into the game, Oleg Losev (Moscow, Russia) knocked in the rebound of York's drive from the blue line for his first of three goals on the night. With only 2:14 gone, Rei Kikuchi (Tomakomai, Japan) ripped a fine shot underneath Daniello's blocker for his 14th goal of the season. With three minutes left, Berndt handed the puck back to Losev, who blasted it over the goalie's glove for a 3-0 first period Idaho lead. .Ir Stec,' • Lester becomes new all-time Junior Steelheads goal scorer The Three Ds of Eagle Back To Current Edition The visitors added one goal in the middle frame. Chris Hunt (Albany, N. Y.), who had assisted on two of the goals in the first period, chipped the puck in from in front of the net to make it 4 -0. A four -goal barrage in the third period started less than a minute in. Recent roster addition John DeRoche (Lynnfield, Mass.) scored his fifth Junior Steelheads goal in four games after Hunt had skated through traffic and fed him the puck. Losev followed with his hat - trick -maker a half minute later. With 13:56 into the period, DeRoche got another tally from a Berndt pass, and five minutes later, Fredrik Lindqvist (Norrtalje, Sweden) ended the rout with his 10th of the year. The Junior Steelheads pummeled Daniello with 53 shots, 26 of them coming in the third period Sunday IDAHO 12, VANCOUVER 3 York got another first period goal for Idaho to begin the goal -fest 7:17 into the game A couple of minutes later, Matthews, getting his second series start in goal, sustained an injury and had to leave after turning aside four shots. He was replaced by the versatile Brenden Leise (Seattle, Wash.). Before the end of the period, Herning, Piliya, and DeRoche on a power play tallied goals. In the second, DeRoche's short- handed goal and a full - strength goal by Kaes made it 6-0 after two stanzas. Hunt and Lindqvist scored before five minutes were up in the third period, followed by goals by Lester, Kaes, DeRoche, and Lindqvist. DeRoche's gave him a hat trick and five goals to go along with five assists in the series. Hunt also had a 10 -point series, notching two goals and eight assists. Leise wound up making 39 saves in relief for his fifth win. The Junior Steelheads threw 61 shots at the Vancouver goals. Back To Index /Menu BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News Idaho Junior Steelhead winger and co- captain Hunter Lester of Boise became the team's all time leading regular season goal scorer last weekend. Lester set the record with two successive goals in the second period of last Friday's7 -2 road victory over the Vancouver Rangers, With 8:31 gone in the second period, Lester got what proved to be the game - winning goal, his 15th of the season and 72nd of his career to tie the record previously held by winger Macky Power. With 1:37 left in the period, Lester gave the Junior Steelheads a 4 -2 lead with his 73rd all -time regular season goal, breaking Power's record established last season. Lester added another goal in Sunday afternoon's victory to extend his tally to 74. Lester is already the Junior Steelheads' all -time leader in games played with his 164th last Sunday. He is also third in all time points scored with 160. With three games left in the current regular season, Lester has a chance to pass winger Stefan Brucato's second place 163 points. Power leads the all time points list (goals plus assists) with 170. Other Junior Steelhead players making news from the weekend included Oleg Losev, from Moscow, Russia, who moved into fourth place in career goals with 63, one past 62 goals by former team member Nikita Zgirskis of Latvia. .Junior Steelheads allowed to share a home during hockey season BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News On the ice, Idaho Junior Steelhead defensivemen Kyle Hoffman, Jonathan Kadsson, and Jonathan Davidsson focus on stopping the opponent. Off the ice, the topic can range from what's for dinner to who does the dishes. Most members of the Junior Steelheads live with host families during the hockey season, but Hoffman, Karlsson, and Davidsson have been allowed to live in an Eagle home with no supervision. "Seldom have we had three players staying together," coach John Olver said. "These guys are all 20, they're all defensemen - two are defensive partners - and all are close friends. Host families, also known as billets, are an essential part of the junior hockey landscape. The usual scenario puts one or two players in a host's home, where they are provide meals and a bed during the season, which lasts from late summer to early spring. 4�4 IMO ra ITC ��r -Mrr M ilid s,lby Not so with The Three Ds of Eagle, who live in the home of From left, Idaho Junior Steelheads Kde Hoffman, a former Junior Steelheads player that sees little use from its Jonathan David— and Jonathan Kai Is on dean n after a meal at the Eagle home that they are owners due to travel and work commitments. sharingdudng theseason. "It's a team effort," said Hoffman, of Issaquah, Wash. "We all contribute to the cooking, the cleaning along the way." When one of the three sees something that needs to be done, they act, he said. "We've gotten pretty good at this," Hoffman said. "We worked to get to know each other and develop the cooperation, and it is working." Meatball Night When it comes to cooking, "The Jons" take over, preparing dishes from their native Sweden. "(Coach Olver) has told us that when the Jons do Swedish meatballs, he wants to be a part of it," Hoffman said. The three are keenly aware of the responsibility they have been entrusted to live independently. "You don't have your mother around, so you have to do the laundry, do the dishes, etc.," Hoffman said. "At the same time, you have to be respectful of your hosts," he said. "After all, they've let you in their home." Since two of the three residents are Swedish, a lot of that language is spoken around the house. Hoffman is trying to pick up some phrases, but he has really learned is a lot about his two teammates. Their relationship has grown so strong that the Swedes traveled to Hoffman's home in Washington for Thanksgiving, and Hoffman says he may go visit The Joins in Sweden. This spring's Western States Hockey League playoffs will be the last time the three will be together, since WSHL rules say players must move on after they reach 20 years old. The arrangement has benefitted the team, Olver said. "They are definitely not the norm," he said. "They have developed a great friendship both on and off the ice, and you can see it in their play on the ice." Hoffman has been accepted at the University of Washington, the University of Vermont and the Rochester Institute of Technology and will decide on his future by May 1. Davidsson wants to attend an American college, while Karlsson is not interested in college and wants to play hockey in Sweden next year. Back To Index/Menu Back To Current Edition © Copyright 2009 -2017 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All rights reserved Lead Story Main News Opinion Arts /Events Outdoors/Rec Junior Steelheads Sports /Schools Of Record Groups Info Desk Announcements Public Notices Current Edition MIcCaN, ID ,. 20 OF Xst Don Bailey W J Cock fill, Fancaat IDAHO JR. STEELHEADS— THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017 Jr. Steelheads Index It's The Playoffs, Baby! Junior Steelheadsf to host Tahoe in WSHL Northwest division semi finals BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads will begin their playoff pursuit of their third consecutive WSHL Thorne Cup championship this weekend by hosting the Tahoe Icemen in a best two-of -three series. Friday and Saturday nights' games at Manchester Ice and Event Centre are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. If a third game is necessary, it will start at 2 p.m. Sunday. �• �t.,r, The contest is semi -final for the Western States Hockey � •, League Northwest Division title. 11 h st th �� • •,• If the Junior Steelheads defeat Tahoe, they wt o e .t winner of this weekend's Butte - Southern Oregon series next }° weekend for the Northwest Division championship. The winners of the four WSHL divisions will then gather in Ogden, Utah, on April 12 -16 for the Thorne Cup finals. The finals will feature the division champions, a wild -card � team and the host team, the Ogden Mustangs. �rNcw. rik nun.,", 1 ;, 1. The Junior Steelheads won the Thorne Cup in 2011, 2012, .luniorsteelhead setgei I'�ae eZ,ill bring his 2013, 2015 and 2016. league-leading 94.6 percent save percentage into this weekend's WSHL diNision semi-finals versus Tahoe in McCall. Icemen Improved The much improved Tahoe team defeated the Vancouver Rangers last weekend by scores of 7 -3 and 10-5 to advance to the division semi - finals while the Junior Steelheads were enjoying their first -round bye There were eight first round series in the WSHL last weekend, and the Icemen were the only lower - seeded team to upend a higher seed. "Tahoe has been playing well down the stretch," Junior Steelheads Coach John Olver said. "They were given home ice advantage last weekend and took advantage of the situation." The Icemen were in McCall Feb. 17 -19 and dropped a three -game series to the Junior Steelheads by scores of 9-1, 5-2, and 8-2. As wide a margin as that was, it represents an improvement over the season - opening series at South Lake Tahoe Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 -2 in which Idaho outscored the Icemen by a combined 33-4. Idaho's depth is embodied in the balanced attack that has been a hallmark of Junior Steelheads teams through the years. The Junior Steelheads will feature the goal- tending tandem of Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine), who once again led the WSHL in both goals per game (1.42) and save percentage (94.6 percent), and Tyler Matthews (West Chester, Ohio), who gave up 2.30 goals per game and save 90.7 percent of shots. Balanced Lines "We have four balanced lines," Olver said. "We can get scoring from any of them." The line of co- captain Hunter Lester (Boise), Alex Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus), and newcomer Johnny DeRoche (Lynnfield, Mass.) has been productive since being formed with DeRoche's arrival. Oleg Losev (Moscow, Russia), Chris Hunt (Albany, N.Y.), and Tyler Berndt (Fond du Lac, Wisc.) have won their shifts and have been heavy on puck pressure and backchecking. Fredrik Lindqvist's line has been another solid line, with Lance Herning (St. Charles, III.) leading the team in scoring and Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.) and Lindqvist (Nontalje, Sweden) forming three of the top four in points. Dylan Rallis (Minneapolis, Minn.), Jacob Hedencrona (Stockholm, Sweden), and Rei Kikuchi (Tomakomai, Japan) have become a dangerous line, capable of contributing offensively. And Olver can ask Dom Puzevic (Mattawan, Mich.), Cory McClintick (Boise)(co- captain), and Bryan Kaes (Boise) to step in to any situation due to injury. Member of Jr. Steelheads 'double whammy' named ECAC West top player Public invited to Junior Steelheads annual awards luncheon Back To Current Edition The return of Jonathan Karlsson (Karlskrona, Sweden) and Arturs Apfelbaums (Riga, Latvia) from injury bolsters the Idaho defense, which gave up only 99 goals during the regular season, an average of 1.9 per game, second -best in the WSHL. Back To Index/Menu Member of Jr. Steelheads `double whammy' named ECAC West top player BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News A former player for the Idaho Junior Steelheads who was part of a duo known as the "Double Whammy' has received top honors where he is now playing hockey. Dominik Gabaj was named the East Coast Athletic Conference West Player of the Year as a senior at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. He was also selected to the First Team All -ECAC West Team. Gabaj, from Bratislava, Slovakia, led the ECAC West in scoring in conference play this past season. X?A Dominik The forward collected 13 goals and eight assists for 21 points against league foes, and Gabaj also recorded an ECAC West Division league leading three game - winning goals. Overall, Gabaj finished the season with 28 points (18 goals, 10 assists), setting new career -highs in goals and points in the process. Gabaj is the Golden Flyers' all -time leading scorer over his three -year career, having notched 34 goals and 38 assists for 72 points in 78 games. During the 2012 -13 Western States Hockey League season, Gabaj led the Junior Steelheads to their third consecutive Thorne Cup Championship. He tied linemate Stefan Brucato for the WSHL regular season scoring lead with 102 points. Gabaj led the league with 41 regular season goals that season. Brucato and Gabaj were nicknamed the "Double Whammy" by Junior Steelheads fans because of the number of times they teamed up, one scoring a goal with an assist by the other. In the 2012 -13 Thorne Cup playoffs, Gabaj led all league scorers with 16 points on seven goals and nine assists. Back To Index/Menu Public invited to Junior Steelheads annual awards luncheon The pudic is invited to join the Idaho Junior Steelheads as they host their annual award luncheon on Saturday. The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Northfork Lodge located at the McCall RV Park, 200 Scott St. in McCall. Lunch will be served at noon, with a suggested donation of $10 per person. Season awards will be presented at 12:30 p.m. The Junior Steelheads will then head to Manchester Ice and Event Centre for the WSHL Northwest Division semi - finals Saturday night against the Tahoe Icemen. Anyone wishing to attend should contact John Barth at hockeyinmccall@gmail.com by today. Back To Index/Menu Back To Current Edition © Copyright 2009 -2017 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All rights reserved Lead Story Main News Opinion Arts/Events Outdoors/Rec Junior Steelheads Sports/Schools Of Record Groups Info Desk Announcements Public Notices Current Edition mccagr ID lA,•Irnnu 36 OF OMYfcmat Don Bailey at 01151 PIA ��Fy',) Click fir IDAHO JR. STEELHEADS— THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017 Jr. Steelheads Index Junior Steelheads crush Icemen to advance to WSHL Northwest Division finals Idaho to lace Butte this weekend for right to play in Thorne Cup finals BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads unloaded 22 goals on the Tahoe Icemen last weekend to sweep the Western States Hockey League Northwest Division semi -final series. The rout means the Junior Steelheads will advance to the division final this weekend in McCall against the Butte Cobras The winner will advance to the WSHL Thorne Cup Championship Final Tournament in Ogden, Utah, April 12 -16. Game times for the best -two-of -three series at Manchester Ice and Event Centre are 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights, and 4 p.m. Sunday if a third game is necessary. The Cobras upended the higher - seeded Southern Oregon Spartans in Medford last weekend to advance to a division final series for the first time in their brief history. Butte edged the Spartans 2 -1 last Friday night, then exploded for five unanswered goals in the second half of the third period Saturday night for an B -3 clincher. In the other three divisions of the league, the Wichita Junior Thunder were the only other lower seed to win last weekend. The Thunder eliminated the Oklahoma City Blazers and will be at El Paso this weekend for the Midwest Division championship. The Colorado Eagles visit Ogden in the Mountain Division finals, while Valencia will be on the road in Long Beach to face the Bombers in the Western Division. If Butte defeats the Junior Steelheads this weekend, the Idaho team could still earn a wild -card berth in Ogden if Long Beach beats the Flyers. Butte has one of the top records in the league in the last 20 games, at 17 -3. "They have obviously peaked at the end of the season and went into Southern Oregon and knocked them off," Junior Steelheads Coach John Olver said. "We'll have to be ready to play from the opening whistle." FRIDAY IDAHO 13, TAHOE 2 Hunter Lester (Boise) got the Tahoe series started early on Friday with a power play goal 2:43 into the game in front of about 250 fans. The Icemen tied the game with a goal about halfway through the period, which was as dose as they were to get to Idaho for the weekend. Fredrik Lindqvist (Norrtalje, Sweden) and Johnny DeRoche (Lynnfield, Mass.) scored for Idaho in the first 5:33 of the second period to make it 3-1. Tahoe got one back 10:24 into the period in what proved to be their final tally of the game. The 10 unanswered goals by the home team came from DeRoche and Lester again in the second period, and Rei Kikuchi (Tomakomai, Japan), Lance Herring (St. Charles, III.), Jonathan Davidsson (H6nb, Sweden), Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.), Alex Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus), Kindred again, DeRoche again for a hat trick, and Jack York (Boise) in the third period. Five of Idaho's goals were power play goals, earned in six penalty opportunities, while Piliya's goal was a short- handed affair off an Icemen power play. Goalie Sergei Pysarenko faced four Tahoe shots in each period, making 10 saves to get the win. The Junior Steelheads barraged two Tahoe goalies with a total of 74 shots on the night. SATURDAY IDAHO 9, TAHOE 4 Before about 400 fans on Saturday, the Junior Steelheads amassed a 3 -0 lead in the first 15:27 on goals by York, Bryan Kaes (Boise) and Chris Hunt (Albany, N.Y.). Pysarenko surrendered a power play goal to Tahoe, after which Idaho took the 4 -1 first period lead on a DeRoche power play lamplighter. The Icemen cameth with two goals to cut the lead to 4 -3. But 11 seconds after the third Tahoe goal, York scored on a nifty backhand shot to start the streak of five unanswered goals. Piliya and Tyler Berndt (Fond du Lac, Wisc.) scored on power plays to make it 7 -3 after two frames. • No related stones Back To Current Edition Lindqvist and Kindred also scored on power plays by the halfway point of the third period to gave Idaho its final total of nine. Tahoe got their fourth and last on a power play with less than three minutes left in the contest. Pysarenko finished with 13 saves for another victory to move the Junior Sleelheads on to the division finals. Idaho "took it easy" on Tahoe with just 47 shots on goal on this night. Goaltender Tyler Matthews was injured in a practice last Friday and will miss this weekend's Butte series, Olver said. Brenden Leise will provide netminder insurance the Idaho team. Back To Index/Menu Back To Current Edition © Copyright 2009 -2017 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All rights reserved Emboldened by their first -ever win in the annual Black and Blue Rivalry in McCall, the University of Idaho Men's Ice Hockey Club has convinced the university to buy the Idaho Junior Steelheads Buying the Junior A hockey team, which has won the Western States Hockey League's Thorne Cup five times in the last six years, should provide the firepower the Vandal team needs to continue its success against the Broncos. The Vandals won the first game in the seven year history of the annual series held during the McCall Winter Carnival this year. "We got that taste of victory, and we liked it," UI Men's Ice Hockey Club President Thomas Behre said. "We want to make sure we keep beating Bronco buff in future years." Under the deal announced on Wednesday, the university will purchase the team for an undisclosed amount from Darrell Swigert, whose Swigert Foundation founded the team in 2009. The sale will take effect after the current WSHL season, where the Junior Steelheads are in the hunt for their sixth Thome Cup title. The Junior Steelheads is composed of youths ages 16 to 20 who are hoping to catch the eye of college hockey teams to continue their career. "The university is going to enroll all of the players so that they qualify for the hockey club," Behre said. "So even it they played college hockey." -t jillm 1s ; ` N* The University of Idaho booster group has determined that the most efficient way to stay competitive in the Black and BI tie Rivalry in McCaII is to aquire the Idaho.) umor Steelheads. don't move on, they can still say they Swigert said the university made him "an offer I couldn't refuse." "Idaho doesn't play Boise State anymore in football, so they figured the only way to keep up was on the ice," Swigert said. "Since my kids can beat anybody their age, they shouldn't have much problem with a bunch of club players." Boise State Hockey Club Assistant Coach Kory Scoran scoffed at the announcement. "This year's game was an aberration," Scoran said. "And if any of the UI team members want me to define 'aberration' for them, they can call me." (Editor's Note: April Fool) McCall, ID 26 OF Owroast Don Barley .t01151 Pill - - - , 9 _ cllek fe. F.—ft IDAHO JR. STEELHEADS— THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017 Jr. Steelheads Index Place Classified View Classified Ads Back In The Finals Again Arts/Evems ___ ___ Outdoors/Rec .Iuntor Steelhead .sweep Butte to earn trip to Thorne Cup,/ina/ round Jr. Steelheads BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News LettersNiewpoints The Idaho Junior Steelheads have put themselves in position to win their third straight Thorne Cup, Sports/Schools and sixth in the last seven years, with a two-game sweep of the Butte Cobras last weekend in McCall. Of Record Public Notices Coach John Olver's team beat the Cobras 2 -0 on Friday night and 6-3 Saturday night to claim their third straight Northwest Division playoff championship and punch their ticket to the WSHL finals Groups tournament in Ogden, Utah next week. Info Desk It wasn't particularly easy, Olver said. Calendar p�ncfy "As we expected, Butte was a tough opponent," he said. "We had a number of guys dinged up a bit, but that's what playoff hockey is. "I believe the series has prepared us mentally for the level of competition we will face in Ogden," Olver L<`s said. That competition will consist of the Long Beach Bombers (Western Division champions), Wichita .. _ ".. Junior Thunder (Midwest Division champions), Colorado Junior Eagles (Mountain Division champs), ' + Ogden Mustangs (tournament host team), and Valencia Flyers (wild card team). V ' the Each team will play a game next Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in the round -robin portion of A convenient, classified collection of all the ad, tournament. in this week's edition plus links to online Versions of Albertson, The top four teams will play in the semi - finals on Saturday, and the two winners will play in the Thorne Rite Aid and all our weekly sale ads Cu final game on Sunda P 9 Y l Ire� arirrxsl All games of the tournament will be available streaming online on http: / /blackdogenterphses.org. Last weekend , Long Beach swept Valencia 2 -1 in overtime and 4 -1, Wichita eliminated El Paso 5-4 in OT and 4 -2, and Colorado took two of three games in Ogden, including a 3 -2 OT clincher on Sunday. The Junior Steelheads got shutout goaltending from Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine) last Friday and come- from - behind offense on Saturday to avoid having to play a third game on Sunday. FRIDAY: IDAHO 2, BUTTE 0 Pysarenko started the play on the first Idaho goal of the game, stopping a Butte shot and passing to Jonathan Davidsson (H6nii, Sweden), who, in turn, fed Oleg Losev (Moscow, Russia). Losev skated from behind his own blue line into the Cobras zone, backed in toward the middle of the ice, then scored on a hard shot past Butte goaltender, Eric Ahlberg (Karlstad, Sweden). The power play goal proved to be the game - winner in front of about 300 fans. One minute into the third period, Johnny DeRoche (Lynnfield, Mass.) took an Alex Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus) pass and blasted a backhand shot past Ahlberg for the final tally of the night. Pysarenko turned aside all 18 shots he saw to earn his eighth shutout and 28th win of the year. The Junior Steelheads fired 48 shots on goal, evenly spread among the three periods of play. Each team was assessed eight minor penalties. Idaho lost the services of defenseman Jack York (Boise) with five minutes to go in the second period. York was hit from behind and suffered a shoulder separation, which most probably will keep him from playing in the Ogden finals tournament. SATURDAY: IDAHO 6, BUTTE 3 The Cobras, fighting to keep their season alive, got the only goal of the first period, 14:57 into the game, on a shot in front of the goal before 450 spectators. The home team tied the game 1:43 into the second period when defenseman Jonathan Karlsson (Karlskrona, Sweden) skated in from the left point on a power play and backhanded the puck past Ahlberg into the net. At the 5:15 mark, Idaho took an elbowing penalty, and Butte capitalized on the power play with a goal, but not before Losev scored a shorthanded goal off the rebound of a Piliya shot. With 2:20 to go, Losev got his second goal of the period, this one unassisted, to give the Junior Steelheads a 3 -2 lead. The goaltender appeared to have stopped Losev's hard shot, but the puck dribbled through and over the goal line. • Junior Steelheads give out awards to note end of season Back to Front Page The Idaho team duplicated their three -goal second period salvo in the third period to capture the game and the Northwest crown. At 5:09, Rei Kikuchi (Tomakomai, Japan) made it 4 -2, poking in the rebound of a Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.) drive. Losev earned a hat trick with another unassisted goal 8:25 into the period, taking a pass at his own blue line and skating all the way in for a 45 degree angle shot. Butte closed the gap to 5-3 with a goal at the 13:11 mark, but 41 seconds later, Kikuchi retaliated with his second of the period. He collided with Ahlberg well outside the net, and then scored from right in front when the goaltender couldn't get back in position in time. Back To Index/Menu Junior Steelheads give out awards to note end of season BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads recently held their season - ending awards luncheon at Northfolk Lodge in McCall attended by about 100 people. Goaltender Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine) was honored for leading the Western States Hockey League for the second year in a row, with a goals against average of 1.42 and a save percentage of .946. Team awards were then presented, with all but the Coaches Award and Leading Scorer award voted on by the players. The Rookie of the Year award was a tie between Lance Herning (St. Charles, III.) and Matt Kindred (Garden City, Mich.) The Most Improved Player award also was a tie between Chris Hunt (Albany, N.Y.) and Dylan Rallis (Minneapolis, Minn.) The Unsung Hero award was presented to Kyle Hoffman (Issaquah, Wash.) The Most Dedicated Player award was presented to Alex Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus), who Coach John Olver said "works hard and who eats, sleeps, and breathes hockey." The award for The Most Inspirational Player, named after the team's late equipment manager "Fast Eddy" Summers, went to Rei Kikuchi (Tomakomai, Japan). Another tie vote resulted in dual awards for Best Defenseman to Jonathan Kadsson (Karlskrona, Sweden) and Jonathan Davidsson (H6n6, Sweden). Co-captain Cory McClintick won the Coaches Award, which goes to the player who "exemplifies the character of leadership, the selflessness, and the replication of the culture we have always tried to create in this organization," Olver said. The Leading Scorer award given to Herning, who led the Junior Steelheads with 32 goals and 69 points during the regular season. The Most Valuable Player Award was a five -way tie among co- captain Hunter Lester (Boise), Piliya, McClintick, Pysarenko, and Oleg Losev (Moscow, Russia). Back To Index/Menu Back To Front Page © Copyright 2009 -2017 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. " All rights reserved Lead Story Main News Opinion Arts/Events Outdoors/Rec Junior Steelheads Sports/Schools Of Record Groups Info Desk Announcements Public Notices Current Edition McCaa ID 14'elcome 99 OF You are iogpo on as Sesttofod Clouds Don Bailey at 09139 AM S.b— ,pl— Expires i02220n �,/p Renew SO' -pt- CYek Sr qa eaat � Emt A... Log Ofl MAIN NEWS — THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2017 Main News Index Junior Steelheads start Thorne Cup finals Round -robin games to decide who plays /i)r title BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News The Idaho Junior Steelheads started their quest for their sixth WSHL Thorne Cup title and their third in a row, on Wednesday with round -robin play Ogden, Utah. The Junior Steelheads joined the host Ogden Mustangs, Valencia Flyers, Wichita Junior Thunder, Long Beach Bombers, and Colorado Junior Eagles as the finalists from the 27 -team Western States Hockey League. On Wednesday night, the Idaho team faced the Mustangs in the first of three round robin games. Results of the game were not available. Today at 3:30 p.m., Idaho takes on the Flyers, who entered the tourney as the wild card team. That game and all other games may be viewed at http:llblackdogenterprises, com. At 11 a.m. Friday, the Junior Steelheads will face the Midwest Division Champion Wichita Junior Thunder. Idaho is in the same pool as the Junior Eagles and Bombers and will not play either of them in the round -robin portion of the tournament. On Saturday, the six -team field will be pared to four teams based on round -robin play for semi -final games at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The winners of the semis will battle for the 2016 -17 Thorne Cup at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Team Previews Here is a brief look at the challengers, all of which are seeking their first -ever WSHL championships: OGDEN MUSTANGS The Mustangs won the Mountain Division regular season title with 87 points, third best in the league, but fell to the Eagles again in the playoffs. They were the last team to beat the Junior Steelheads in a division playoff, taking the Northwest crown in the 2013 -14 season. The Mustangs have built their program in recent years to compete with Idaho, and their make -up is very similar to Idaho's with balanced scoring coupled with excellent defense and goaltending. Ogden started the season with 18 straight victories and hopes to win the title in front of their home fans. VALENCIA FLYERS The Flyers maintained a grip on second place in the Western Division through the season, finishing with 83 points. They also have improved steadily through the last few years, and almost hosted the Junior Steelheads in the league semi -finals in last season's playoff format. The Flyers' lone win against Idaho was a 3 -2 victory over Idaho in the 2015 Western States Shootout and could do some major damage if they can beat Idaho today. The Flyers picked up players from other dubs before the trade deadline. Dusan Olsa from Cheyenne and Patrik Tondl from Wichita have provided playoff scoring benefits. The team's defense allowed only 127 goals during the regular season, fifth best in the league. WICHITA JUNIOR THUNDER The Junior Steelheads have never played Wichita. A middle -of- the - Midwest group through their existence, they posted a perfect 4 -0 at this year's Shootout in December and have fashioned a 23 -4 -1 record since. Without a regulation loss since Feb. 5, the Junior Thunder have won 17 of their last 18 games, including two-game sweeps of Dallas, Oklahoma City, and El Paso in the playoffs' preliminary rounds. The scoring trio of Peter Cicmanec, Oskar Gullstrdm, and David Good are averaging over 130 points each. The team goals per game on offense during the regular season was 5.63, third best in the WSHL. They allowed 3.37 goals per game, so their defense and goaltending will have to come up big if they are to continue knocking off top teams. • Cascade to air update to community master plan • Adams County commissioner dies suddenly Back To Current Edition LONG BEACH BOMBERS The Bombers came to Idaho for the league semi -final last season and went home empty. A Junior Steelhead drive glanced off defenseman Nick Short and back into the Bombers' goal to seal Idaho's series win. At this year's Shootout, Long Beach claimed a victory over the Junior Steelheads. The Steelies had come back from a 40 deficit to take a lead they held until late in that game. The Bombers have built a scoring power house, averaging seven goals per game, and started this season with a three -game sweep of the Fresno Monsters by scores of 12 -0, 13 -0, and 12 -0. They finished with the league's best record of 93 points and earned seeding privileges for the finals tournament. Should the Junior Steelheads wind up playing Long Beach in the semi - finals or final game, it will be another test for the Idaho defense to pass. COLORADO JUNIOR EAGLES The Junior Eagles of Fort Collins, Colo. were defeated by the Junior Steelheads for The Cup a year ago. A number of veterans returned this year, but none of the top scorers. This years version averaged only four goals per game, and a defenseman, Adam Wammes, had the second best point total. The Eagles had the league's fourth best defense (2.3 goals allowed per game) and the veteran goaltending tandem of Austin Piquette and Braden Lajoie carried the team to successfully defend its Mountain Division playoff title. McCall, ID 29 OF Scatterad Clouds n 09159 AM clk,k fnr Fn ' tRdnnr• Don Bailey IDAHO JR. STEELHEADS— THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2017 Jr. Steelheads Index Place Classified View Classified Ms Junior Steelheads bounce back from • No related stories Arts/Events round -robin losses to reach Thorne Cup finals Back to Front Page Vt120001 s/HeC _ Jr. Steelheads BY DICK DORFMAN for The Star -News Letters/Viewpoints The Idaho Junior Steelheads got off to a shaky start at the Western States Hockey League's Thorne Spons/Schools Cup tournament in Ogden, Utah, last week, but rallied to make to the final game. Of Record Public Notices The Junior Steelheads fell to host Ogden Mustangs, 3-2, in the opening game on April 12 and then defeated the Valencia Flyers, 3 -1, last Thursday. Groups The Idaho team stumbled again on Friday, 2 -1, to eventual Thorne Cup champions Witchita Junior Info Desk Thunder, but managed to earn a spot in the semi - finals on Saturday. _ Calendar Idaho downed Valencia again, 3 -1, on Saturday to reach its seventh consecutive WSHL finals game. Announcements Idaho won five of those seven finals, in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016, stumbling only to the El Paso Rhinos in the 2014 finals, 7 -3. But the Junior Thunder was too much for Idaho to handle in Sunday's final game, and Wichita took the Thorne Cup, 4 -3. Game Summaries J �co ads ROUND ROBIN: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12 OGDEN 3, IDAHO 2 Ikc[fon of all the ads collection o all the in this Week's edition plus links to online The Junior Steelheads encountered an old rival in Ogden determined to once and for all overtake wrslons of Albertson. Rite Aid and all our them. weekly sale ads t.ns•.asreM The two teams had played six games in McCall at end of regular season. Each team won three, an each team scored 14 goals. Johnny DeRoche (Lynnffeld, Mass.) got the tournament started for the Junior Steelheads with a hard - shot goal from mid -zone after Kyle Hoffman (Issaquah, Wash.) had skated end to end and fed him the puck. The Mustangs tied the game in the first period, then got the only two goals of the second frame for a 3 -1 lead. Fredrik Lindqvist (Norrtalje, Sweden) blasted a shot from inside the blue line for Idaho's second goal 7:48 into the third period to cut the lead, but the two teams battled for opportunities for the rest of the game with no further scoring Ogden held the Junior Steelheads to just 21 shots on goaltender Victor Cibulka (Bratislava, Slovakia) while taking 34 shots on Sergei Pysarenko (Odessa, Ukraine). It was Idaho's lowest shot total of the season. THURSDAY, APRIL 13: IDAHO 3, VALENCIA 1 Valencia had entered the final -six field as the wild card, but played the Junior Steelheads like anything but a lower- ranked team. The two teams went through scoreless first and second periods before Lindqvist got credit for the first goal that may have deflected off a Flyers player. The Flyers tied the game 13:29 into the period on a power play goal, but Idaho got the game winner when DeRoche skated in from the corner and scored from in front of the net. Oleg Losev (Moscow, Russia) deflected in a Hunter Lester (Boise) shot for an empty net goal with seven seconds left to seal the victory. Idaho fired 51 shots on goal in the game, with Lindgvist's coming on the team's 46th shot. Valencia's only goal came on its only shot of the third period, as Pysarenko had to make only four saves in the first period and six in the second. THURSDAY, APRIL 14: WICHITA 2, IDAHO 1 The Junior Steelheads could have assured their spot in the semi - finals with a win over Wichita, a team they had never faced before. As the league's third highest scoring team, the Junior Thunder nosed into third place in the Midwest Division at the end of the regular season, then had two -game sweeps over Dallas, Springfield, and El Paso to gain the finals tourney. They were the first No. 3 seed ever to make it to the championships. After a scoreless first period, Wichita showed its prowess with the only two goals of the second. Idaho would need to respond or perhaps see their season end. The Junior Steelheads took their shots, but their only goal came with 1:39 left when DeRoche scored on a fine pass from Rei Kikuchi (Tomakomai, Japan). Pysarenko stayed in net at the end of the game, as the risk of losing by two goals was seen as greater than the possibility of tying the game with an extra attacker on the ice. Pysarenko made 23 saves in taking his second loss of the tournament. Idaho fired 35 shots, but only the one made it to the back of the net. Despite the loss, Idaho made it to the semi - finals under a tie - breaker of the goal differentials between goals scored versus goals allowed compared to other teams. SEMI - FINAL: SATURDAY APRIL 15 IDAHO 3, VALENCIA 1 The rematch of Thursday's game with Valencia produced the same final score but was an entirely different game. Idaho scored less than four minutes into the contest, as Chris Hunt (Albany, N.Y.) backhanded a shot past Flyers goalie Joakim Blomgren (Leksand, Sweden). Valencia tied the score 6:09 into the period, but the Junior Steelheads took the lead for good 10:28 in, on a fine shot by Hoffman off great passes by Alex Piliya (Vitebsk, Belarus) and DeRoche. The next 50 minutes of playing time was scoreless, and the empty -net goal Idaho scored with 21 seconds left came off a deflection which traveled the length of the ice and was credited to goaltender Pysarenko. Pysarenko recorded 22 saves and Idaho had 44 shots on goal. THORNE CUP FINAL GAME: SUNDAY APRIL 16, WICHITA 4, IDAHO 3 Idaho faced a Wichita that had not lost a regulation game since Feb. 5 and had only one overtime loss since that date. Idaho scored the first period's only goal, as Jonathan Karlsson (Karlskrona, Sweden) scooped up a loose puck and fired it past goaltender Erik Spath (Hemse, Sweden). Wichita took over in the second period, scoring three goals to put the Thorne Cup on the ledge. Lance Herning (St. Charles, III.) took Jacob Hedencrona's (Stockholm, Sweden) pass on a power play and beat Spath 6:28 into the third stanza to close the gap to 3 -2. The Thunder got a power play goal of their own 11:18 into the frame, and Idaho was down by two again. At 13:58 and with just six seconds left on an Idaho power play, Kikuchi scored to close it to 4 -3. The Junior Steelheads battled fiercely in the final six minutes, but the dock ended their attempts for a comeback. Bads To Index/Menu Back To Front Page © Copyright 2009 -2017 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All rights reserved