THIRD PERIOD SHELLACKING
Vesprini, Burrows Lead Bruins to Shutout of Syracuse Stars, 7-0

MARLBORO, MA-The Syracuse Stars hung in with the B's for two periods but could not solve All Star goalie Wes Vesprini. The Bruins, on a Steve Moses power play goal from Jake Coyle and Ryan Criscuolo, took a 1-0 lead into the third. In the third the Bruins hit their stride putting sixteen shots on net and lit the lamp six times. Overall the Bruins out shot the Stars by a 48-35 margin.

Jake Coyle (2), Josh Burrows, John Meyers, Kyle Solomon and Evan MackIntosh all scored in the third to complete the sweep of the Stars. "Wes was great and we needed him to be that good for the first two periods before we got going offensively. Another player who is at the top of his game is Josh Burrows," coach Peter Masters commented. "He is playing great over the last month and is starting to turn another corner in his play. We will need that to continue as we prepare for the stretch run through January and February."

EMPIRE ALL STAR GAME
B's Players Shine in Mid Season Showcase

HOOKSETT, NH-On Monday morning the six Junior Bruins' players selected for the All Star team represented the National Conference. While the Bruins players all had good showings, that was not enough as the American Conference won in an overtime shootout after the two teams finished regulation knotted at 8-8.

Of those 8 goals the Junior Bruins' players accounted for 5 of them. Derek Arnold had a three point game on two goals and one assist. Cory Kane also had a two goal, one assist performance. Steve Morra had the fifth Bruins' goal for the Natioanl Conference and John Henrion chipped in with an assist in the game. Defensemen Evan Gogonis and goalie Connor Knapp also played well.

Top Row (left to right)-John Henrion, Connor Knapp and Cory Kane
Bottom Row (left to right)-Steve Morra, Evan Gogonis and Derek Arnold

 

SMOKIN HOT!!!
Offense Goes Wild in 12-1 Win;
Kane Has 7 Point Game, Arnold Has 6 Point Game

FOXBORO, MA-Less than 24 hours after beating the Foxboro Stars 5-2 at NESC on Saturday the Bruins' offense pumped home 12 goals on Sunday morning in a 12-1 route. Center Derek Arnold continued on his hot streak with a six point game on a four goal, two assist performance. Fellow center Cory Kane had a hat trick and four helpers to go along with the trick for a seven point game. Also scoring for the Bruins were Sean Sullivan (2), John Henrion, Evan Gogonis and Steve Morra. Goalie Connor Knapp made 24 saves and picked up an assist on the Gogonis goal.

Arnold, Kane, Henrion, Morra, Gogonis and Knapp will all represent the Bruins on Monday morning at the Empire Junior League All Star game at the Tri-Town Arena in Hooksett, NH.

MONTIERO NAMED PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Defensemen Earns Empire League Honors

FRAMINGHAM, MA-The Empire Jr. League announced its selections for the December Player of the Month and the Bruins' Tommy Monteiro has been named the Player of the Month at the defense position.

This marks the second month in a row that a Junior Bruins' player received a Player of the Month award.

For the full story go to the Empire Junior League's web site: EMPIRE WEB SITE.

STARRY EYED
Junior Bruins Send 7 to Empire League All Star Game; Most in the League

FRAMINGHAM, MA - The Empire Junior Hockey League released its All Star team on Thursday and the Bruins will send a league high six players (and one coach) to the game. The game will be held at the Tri-Town Arena, home of the NH Jr. Monarchs, on Monday, January 15 at 10:00 AM. The EJHL All Star games will follow the Empire game. The first place Bruins will have forwards Steve Morra, Cory Kane, Derek Arnold and John Henrion joining defensemen Evan Gogonis and goalie Connor Knapp on the National Conference All Star team. The Bruins first place finish in the first half also sends coach Chris Masters to the team as its coach along with the NH Jr. Monarchs' Ryan Frew.

The number of selections a team gets to send to the All Star game is based on their position in the standings. The first place Bruins, with a 25-2 record, send 5 players as well as goaltender Knapp. The Bruins also lead the league in goals per game average with 5.75 as well as goals against average with a 2.00 GAA. The Bruins also head into the second half of the year riding a 21 game winning streak.

Steve Morra-1989 forward from Bristol, RI has 43 points in 27 league games which is good for 8th in overall league scoring and 4th in National Conference scoring. He is among league leaders in power play goals with 8 and his 4 game winning goals is good for a tie for 6th in the league. Has registered at least a point in 21 of 27 games played.

Cory Kane-1990 forward from Irvine, CA has 41 points in league play which puts him as the 10th leading scorer in the league. His 41 points have come on 21 goals and 21 assists. He has also been one of the teams best centers winning over 60% of his face-offs. Kane also leads the team in short handed goals with 2.

Derek Arnold-1990 forward from Foxboro, MA has 44 points on the year which puts him in a tie for 6th leading scorer in the league. His 29 assists is tops among forwards on the team and 3rd overall in the league. He has 9 multiple assist games and has registered at least a point in 21 of 26 games.

John Henrion-1991 forward from Holden, MA has a team high 48 points through 27 games. Those 48 points is second only to the league leading 53 by 1987 forward Scott Estey. Henrion's 33 goals, however, does lead the league and gives him a goal scoring average of 1.22 goals per game. Another category he leads the league in is game winning goals with a 10. He currently has a 19 game point streak, a 7 game goal scoring streak and has registered at least a point in 23 of 27 games played.

Evan Gogonis-1990 forward from Northboro, MA leads all defensemen on the team in scoring with 34 points. His 31 assists is also tops on the team as well in tops in the entire league. Gogonis' 34 points is second in the league for all defensemen. He was the December Defensemen of the Month for the league as well.

Connor Knapp-1990 goalie from York, NY leads the league in wins with 15 as well as winning percentage with a .937% mark. His 1.71 GAA is tops in the conference and second in the league. His .927 save percentage is first in the conference and third in the league. His two shutouts are tied for second in the league.

To view the full roster go to the EMPIRE JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE WEB SITE.

FORMER BRUINS' CICHY, MOORE WIN GOLD
U-17's Top Sweden in OT

ANN ARBOR , MI-Team USA's U-17 team won gold at the Four Nations Cup with an overtime win over Sweden. Former Bruins players Mike Cichy (Junior Bruins-Empire) and Colin Moore (Little Bruins) helped the US to victory. Also playing for team USA were former Bruins' summer team players such as Ryan Hegarty, Steve Rogers, Eric Ringel and Pat Gaul. Congratulations to all the players.

For the full story go to the USA HOCKEY SITE.

HENRION HAT TRICK POWERS BRUINS
B's Pound Breakers, 7-2

MARLBORO, MA-As Christmas draws closer the Bruins' teams know a well deserved break is on the horizon. That break has been "out of sight, out of mind" for the B's as they ripped through a tough six league game stretch the past three weeks that culminated with a convincing 7-2 win against the second place Breakers Sunday at the New England Sports Center. The win was highlighted by the hottest Bruin of them. '91 forward John Henrion had a four point game as he picked up an assist to go along with his three goals. In the six games in December Henrion has 18 points. Some others with hot sticks helping to lead the B's were Derek Arnold (12 points), Steve Morra (10 points), Cory Kane (10 points) and Evan Gogonis (9 points).

On Sunday the B's jumped all over the Breakers out shooting them 19-9 in the first and getting out to a 3-0 lead. Matt Zarbo banged home the rebound of an Evan Gogonis shot on the power play to make it a 1-0 game (Henrion assisted on the goal as well). Kane then had a highlight reel goal when he went coast to coast while the Bruins were killing off a 4-3 power play for the Breakers. He finished the rush off whistling a shot top shelf past goalie Gerard Dunne. Henrion scored the first of his three when he one timed a Gogonis pass on the power play (Zarbo also assisted on the play). Bay State got one past goalie Connor Knapp on the power play to keep themselves in striking distance in the first.

The Bruins kept their foot on the gas and scored three straight goals to make it a 6-1 game after two periods. Henrion scored his league leading 32nd and 33rd goals of the year to start the scoring and captain Sean Sullivan scored the first of his two on the game when his shot from 40 feet out hit the cross bar and deflected into the net.

In the third the teams exchanged goals with Sullivan making it 7-1 before the Breakers got a goal late to make it 7-2. Matt Zarbo had a three point night and in his five games with the Empire team he has 11 points. Justin Alonzo added a couple of helpers and Danny Federico, Derek Arnold, Tommy Monteiro and Mike White had one apiece.

"The team played great," coach Chris Masters commented following the game. "We have had some wins of late that we deserved the win but did not play great and had some stretches of sloppy play and it looked like we were going through the motions once we had a comfortable lead. That was not the case on Sunday, the players had the same intensity level from start to finish similar to the game we had with the Breakers in Rockland. This is two years in a row that we have ended the first half with a big win (a year ago it was a 5-1 win over the Monarchs at Boston College) and doing it in convincing fashion. From the goal on out every player contributed and we played one of our best games of the year. The guys have earned an extended break to refresh their legs and get away from the rink for a bit so that when they come back on New Years day we can get refocused on winning a second Empire League championship."

BRUINS BOMB MONARCHS
B's Stay On Top in Empire League

CHESTNUT HILL , MA - The Junior Bruins hosted the NH Jr. Monarchs at Kelley Rink in Conte Forum on the campus of Boston College on Wednesday afternoon in a battle of Empire heavyweights. Both teams are in first place in their respective divisions and were meeting for the second time this year. The B's won the opening meeting by a 5-1 score and now have a 6-0 record verse the Purple and Gold over the last two seasons.

The Bruins offense cranked it up racing out to a 6-0 lead and winning by a final of 9-3. The offense was powered by two goal performances from Zach Dahrooge, Cory Kane and John Henrion. Connor Knapp won his league leading 14th game of the season and the Bruins, the defending Empire Jr. League regular season champs, continue to sit atop of the Empire League throne with a 24-2 record.

The Bruins, who didn't play anything close to their best hockey of the year, found the back of net with regularity against two of the top goalies in the league on Wednesday afternoon. Despite their somewhat sloppy play at times the Bruins scored four first period goals. Cory Kane scored six minutes into the first with Steve Morra and Mike White picking up assists. It was four minutes later when Henrion scored the first of his two goals and ignited a scoring binge that saw the B's score three goals in four minutes. Morra made it 3-0 and Henrion made it 4-0 scoring his second of the game.

More Bruins scoring started the second frame as Zach Dahrooge and Sean Sullivan made it 6-0. In control of the game the Bruins sloppy defensive zone play cost them and it let the 'Narchs get back into the game, albeit briefly. Over a 1:28 stretch the Monarchs scored three times to cut the lead in half. Three minutes later the B's were the benefactors of a fortuitous bounce off the glass behind the net and the puck popped back out in front to a wide open Dahrooge who had an empty net to shoot into as the goalie had moved to play the shot off the wall to get back to a 7-3 lead.

The Bruins added two more for good measure in the third with Kane scoring the Bruins second power play goal of the game. Justin Mansfield finished off the scoring for the 9-3 final. Earning assists in the game were Morra (2), White, Gogonis (3), Kane (2), Mansfield, Derek Arnold (2), Sullivan and Henrion (2). Henrion's two goal game now gives him 29 which is good for tops in the league. Defensemen Evan Gogonis' three helpers now gives him a league game total of 28 which is only one behind the league leaders in that category. Forwards Kane, Henrion, Morra and Arnold are now all among the top 10 in league scoring and Gogonis is second among all defensemen in the league.

The Bruins have two home games this weekend verse Bridgewater and Bay State before going on Christmas break.

GOGONIS AND KNAPP EARN PLAYERS OF
THE MONTH HONORS
Empire League Honors Bruins' Defensemen and Goalie

FRAMINGHAM, MA - The Empire Jr. B Hockey League has released its Players Of The Month for November and two Junior Bruins players were recognized. Defensemen Evan Gogonis and goalie Connor Knapp earn league honors for their performances over the course of the month of November.

During that month the Bruins had a perfect record of 6-0 and held opponents to only 8 goals. Included in that six game span was a big 3-1 win over the NE Jr. Huskies at the Wallace Civic Center in Fitchburg, 3-1.

"Both Evan and Connor have consistently been two of our best players and are big reasons we are having the team success that we are. We have a young, inexperienced group of defensemen and Evan, along with our other vets, have done a great job being rocks back at the blue as our young guys develop. Evan is among our leaders in +/- and is among the league leaders in points for a defensemen. Connor is having a great season and is leading the league, or second, in just about every goalie statistical category," coach Chris Masters commented. "In a league where there are 4-5 high end goalies who have big futures, he is playing as good, if not better, than all of them."

For the full story go to the EMPIRE JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE WEB SITE.

WITT, KANE LEAD BRUINS OVER CHICAGO MISSION
End Beantown Fall Classic with 4-1 Win

EXETER, NH-The Junior Bruins played their final game of the Beantown Fall Classic on Sunday and beat a tough Chicago Mission team in convincing fashion. Goalie Clay Witt was sharp in net and the Bruins got goals from Nick Foy, Charles Bando and two from Cory Kane. The Bruins out shot the Mission 26-16 and controlled play for most of the game.

"The players did a great job in every facet of the game," coach Chris Masters said following the game. "We played four very tough, well coached and skilled teams who really compete every shift this weekend and the boys responded. Save for the first 25 minutes Friday night they were great all weekend and this will help us prepare for next weekend when we play three of the top teams from the American Conference at the Huskies showcase."

SHATTUCK SHUTS OUT BRUINS, 2-0
Knapp Plays Well in Loss

EXETER, NH-Shattuck St. Mary's traveled east to the Beantown Fall Classic and for the second straight year had a great game with the Junior Bruins (Empire) on Saturday afternoon. A year ago it was a second half comeback that gave SSM a 5-4 win. This year Shattuck and the B's battled for 50 minutes and in the end it was Shattuck who got goals from Derek Stran and David Toews to give them a 2-0 win.

"This was one of the best, if nor the best, game of the tournament," coach Chris Masters commented. "There were a lot of great games given the field of teams but this one had a greta pace and there was a lot of skill on the ice. Shattuck is one of the premier teams in the country for a reason and they are a fun team to play. We are not happy with the result but we are happy with our work ethic and how hard our players competed."

VESPRINI LEADS B's PAST MONARCHS
EJ Titans Clash, Bruins Win 2-1 at Beantown Fall Classic

EXETER, NH-The two EJHL heavyweights got it on Friday afternoon in front of a packed house of scouts and college coaches and B's goalie Wes Vesprini was brilliant backstopping the black and gold to a 2-1 win over the NH Jr. Monarchs.

The Bruins got out to a 1-0 lead on a Cody Warila goal halfway through the first period while on the power play. The first period was more of a "feeling out" process as both teams were getting a feel for the pace and tempo of the game. Both Vesprini and Pat Galbraith each faced eight shots.

In the second the Monarchs tied the game on a power play goal of their own when Nick Del Gallo finished off a Rence Coassin and Pat Knowlton play minutes into the start of the second. It was seven minutes later when Josh Stone broke the tie and scored the game winner. Mickey Dudley and Alan Dionne assisted on the play. From there Vesprini took over making 37 saves to en route to the win.

BRUINS ICE CHILL, 4-3
Cinquegrana's Two Goals Lead B's

EXETER, NH-The Junior Bruins (Empire) found themselves in one of the toughest, if not the toughest, division at the BEantown Fall Classic as they have strong company in the likes of national powers Chicago Chill and Shattuck St. MAry's as well as the Northwood school who has been on the rise the last few years. There would be no easy game this weekend and the Bruins and Chicago Chill hooked up in a game that proved to be classic.

The Chill have been as dominant a team at the national level the last three seasons as you will find in midget hockey and they showed why on Friday at The Rinks at Exeter. They were fast, skilled, well coached and competed hard. The B's matched them step for step all game.

The Chill got the scoring started halfway through the first half when Terry Broadhurst finished a Chris Forfar play. It was about eight minutes later when John Henrion jacked an Evan Gogonis pass on power play to tie the game. The B's, on a 5-3 man advantage, were in an umbrella set with Henrion on the left side flank and he put an absolute laser on net teeing up the Gogonis pass and ripping it past the Chill goalie.

With the first half ending 1-1 the teams retreated to the locker room, got their rest and both teams came out flying again finishing checks and making plays. The Bruins scored two quick goals in the opening five minutes of the second half with Cory Kane finishing off a Steve Morra pass from behind the net and Paul Cinquegrana finished a picture perfect breakout play.

In their own end Colin Shea outworked a Chill forechecker to the puck in the left wing corner and chipped the puck to winger Justin Mansfield who then chipped the puck off the left wing wall past the crashing defensemen. Mansfield side stepped the defensemen and got to the puck first and then moved it to Cinquegrana who cam across from the right wing to support the play and he then beat the last Chill player to go in a breakaway where he finished off the play to make it a 3-1 score.

Chicago came right back scoring four minutes later to make it a 3-2 game. They kept the pressure on and the B's got sloppy taking some penalties and the Chill tied the game scoring on a 5-3 man advantage with eight minutes to play. The game stayed close all game as both goalies, Connor Knapp in particular, made big time saves keeping a lot of shots that normally would go in out of the net. With the Bruins on a power play with just under six minutes to play Cinquegrana banged home a rebound to give the Bruins the lead for good.

The B's defense, which was great all game, saved their best play for the final 5:54 to secure the win.

"I am really proud of the effort, commitment to doing all the little things you need to do when you play a great team and how well our six defensemen played this morning," coach Chris Masters commented following the game. "This is one of our best games of the year, the kids really did a great job for 50 minutes against a great team."

The Bruins second game of the day was as bad a game as they have played all season losing to Northwood, 4-2. "As good as we were this morning we were equally as bad this afternoon," Masters continued. "The only positive from the first 25 minutes was Clay Witt who kept us in it. We were totally flat, a mess defensively and just flat out did not play well nor were we prepared to play well. This is one we will put behind us, forget about and make sure we learn from it."

B's READY FOR BEANTOWN FALL CLASSIC
National Powers Invade NH

FRAMINGHAM, MA-The Beantown Fall Classic gets underway Friday morning at the Rinks at Exeter and the Whittemore Center on the campus of the University of New Hampshire. Most of the top midget programs in the country will be in attendance as well as the Junior Bruins' two teams (Empire and EJHL).

Teams in the midget division include Shattuck St. Mary's, LA Jr. Kings, Dallas Stars, Chicago Chill, Northwood School, Texas Attack, Team Illinois, Belle Tire, Victory Honda, Chicago Mission, LA Alliance, Chicago Young Americans, Pittsburgh Hornets, Dartmouth Subway, Junior Bruins (Empire) and Pictou Weeks.

Also playing at the BTFC are the Junior Bruins (EJHL), NH Jr. Monarchs, Boston Harborwolves, Green Mountain Glades, Cushing Academy and the Tilton School.

HENRION, KNAPP LEAD B'S OVER HUSKIES
Road Win Marks 13 Straight League Wins

FITCHBURGH, MA-The Junior Bruins (Empire) and NE Jr. Huskies locked horns Sunday afternoon at the Wallace Civic Center to decide the season series as both teams each won one of the first two meetings. The Huskies won the opening game of the season 6-4 and the Bruins came back a few weeks ago and thumped them 8-4. Since that opening loss the B's won 18 of the next 19 games to sit atop the Empire Jr. B League standings.

The Bruins now have a 6-2 record over the Huskies dating back to last season. The two teams won't meet again this year unless they see each other in the playoffs.

The Bruins never trailed in the game and scored first when Cory Kane and Steve Morra worked a nice give and go that ended with Morra getting a shot on net from the slot. John Henrion beat a Huskie player to the puck and backhanded the rebound past goalie Drew Roeder to take a 1-0 lead. Just a few minutes later the Huskies tied the game when Matt Eithier beat a B's defensemen in the neutral zone and went in on a breakaway. With just under two minutes to go in the first Morra got the puck to Henrion again and he skated into the Huskies zone down the left win side. With Kane going to the net hard Henrion cut back on his forehand to the middle of the ice, beating a Huskie defender and ripped a shot to the net that found the back of the twine and gave the Bruins the lead.

The breakaway goal was the lone goal that Knapp would give up as he shut out the Huskies the final 56:34 picking up his league leading 10th win. Knapp continues to be among league leaders in all statistical categories.

The final two periods were text book defense as the Bruins only allowed 9 shots over the final two frames. The B's could not get the breathing room they needed till Derek Arnold scored an empty net goal. Morra got his third assist of the game and Henrion picked up his third point as both chipped pucks along the left wing wall in the defensive zone and got it to Arnold in the neutral zone who finished off the play.

The Bruins now sit atop the Empire Jr. B League with an 18-2 record and have a double dip with the CD Selects this weekend at RPI's Houston Field House on Saturday and Sunday before taking a week off for Thanksgiving break.

TITLE TIME FOR LITTLE BRUINS!!!
B's Finish Season on High Note

SALEM, NH-When the middle of November rolls around it marks the end of the Little Bruins season and this year the B's have some hardware to add to the trophy case as they hammered the BU Jr. Terriers 10-1 in the finals of the Blue Chip Classic at the Salem Icenter.

The Little Bruins began the last weekend of the season Friday night against the host team Top Gun. The Little B's jumped out to early lead on the strength of goals from John Simpson and Brian Kriner and didn't look back en route to a 5-2 victory.

Saturday morning the Little B's represented the east coast against the California Jr. Ice Dogs. It was a close game for a first period before the B's were able to pull away. The B's were led by Mike Vasilchuk and finished +4 and had a power play goal.

It was right back at it Saturday night at the B's finished up round robin play against the Boston Jr. Terriers. Falling behind quickly 2-0 the Little B's settled down and were able to capitalize on two power plays as well as a shorthanded goal skating away with a 6-2 victory.

In the s semi finals the Bruins faced off against Top Gun again. Behind a strong performance from goalie Greg Homer they advanced into the finals. The B's had short time to recover after the semi's and were back on the ice an hour later for a rematch with the Dogs.

This time the Bruins jumped out to an early lead with the line of Brendan Fadden, Jason Molle and Craig Tyler accounting for two goals in the first period. The second period was all Bruins. Wayne Simpson, skating alongside brother John and Brian Kriner each had a three point middle frame. Jason Molle also picked up another goals. The B's were led defensively by John Enright, Rich Greer and Ryan Brothers while goalie Mike manna played a near flawless game an route to a 10-1 win. "This is a nice way to end the fall and send all the players onto their school teams with a lot of confidence," coach Andy Powers commented. "We got contributions from everyone this weekend and the guys outworked each team they played. I am proud of the effort and the results. The players deserve a lot of credit."

ALONE IN FIRST PLACE!!!
Henrion scores two as Bruins top Salem, 6-2

SALEM, MA - On Monday night the Junior Bruins (Empire) had the opportunity to win their 15th game of the season in league play and would take hold of sole possession of first place if they did. The defending regular season league champions did not disappoint as they went on the road and beat the Salem Ice Dogs 6-2 behind the two goal game of forward John Henrion. The Bruins now have a 15-2 record which is tops in the league. They started the night tied with Pittsburgh who had an identical 14-2 record. The Bruins, like last year, are proving to be a stingy group allowing only 2.29 goals against per game which ranks them as second lowest in the league. They only trail the Monarchs who average giving up 2.05 per game. The Bruins offense is also among league leaders as they average scoring 5.2 goals per game which puts them behind league leading Brewster who are led by '87's Scott Estey, Greg Ciciola and '88 Mike Cavanaugh who are three of the top five scorers in the league and are putting up huge numbers.

The Bruins got the offense rolling when captain Sean Sullivan banged home a rebound of a Nick Foy and Sean McLaughlin shot just six minutes into the game. The score would stay that way till late in the first when the Bruins just finished killing off a Dogs power play and Cory picked up a loose puck in he neutral zone and took the puck hard to the net down the left wing side with a power move past a Dogs defensemen and then snapping a shot past goalie Alex Scola. Goalie Connor Knapp made all 8 saves on the shots he faced in the first.

The Bruins blitzed Salem in the second extending their lead to 6-0 on a four goal outburst in the middle twenty. Paul Cinquegrana, camped out in front of the net on the power play, tipped a shot from the left point off the stick of Danny Federico. Steve Morra also assisted on the play. Less than two minutes later Henrion scored the first of his two. The troika of Henrion, Kane and Sullivan did a greta job of cycling the puck down low and when Sullivan got the puck from Kane he camped out just off to the side of the net below the goal line and did his best Wayne Gretzky impression hitting Henrion, who found some open ice in the slot, with a perfect pass and Henrion ripped it home from there. The Ice Dogs, one of the most penalized teams in the league, were two men down when Morra one timed a pass from Joey Dillon and Justin MAnsfield banged home the rebound to make it 5-0. The scoring was finished when Henrion scored his team leading 15th goal of the season on a great 1-1 effort.

In the third the Bruins got complacent and two turnovers led to Salem goals but the game was never in question. Knapp (pictured left) ended the game making 31 saves and picking up his league leading 10th win of the season. Knapp is among league leaders in all goalie categories with 10 wins (first), GAA of 1.92 (4th) and save percentage of .921 (4th).

"I am proud of the way we are playing right now and how hard the players are working," coach Chris Masters commented following the game. "We knew at the start of the year, since we are as young as we are, we would struggle a bit in the early part of the season but we would improve with each passing day and be a different, and much improved team, after the first couple of months. Last year after 17 games played we had a 14-2-1 record and this year we have a 15-2 record after the same amount of games played so I think we are in pretty good shape. The challenge for us is to improve in some area's that are giving us some problems and we will be sure to address those in practice as well as to stay focused on the next game and not look too far ahead. The Stars (who the Bruins play next on Saturday) are a dangerous team who are coming off a big OT win over the Huskies and are making some noise in the league. We will need to ready come Saturday for a very tough game."

The B's take on Foxboro at 3:00 PM on Saturday followed by the rubber match with the NE Jr. Huskies on Sunday at 11:30 AM.

PITSIKOULIS COMMITS TO ST. LAWRENCE
Little Bruins forward to be a Saint

FRAMINGHAM, MA- The late summer and early fall recruiting rush of Nick Pitsikoulis came to and end recently when the slick skating forward from Montreal, Quebec phoned coach Joe Marsh and accepted the SLU's scholarship offer to come play at the Canton, NY school. Pitsikoulis is in his first season with the Little Bruins and has been out of action since the Bruins tournament when he sustained an injury to his knee.

Prior to the injury Pitsikoulis, whose stock shot up during the summer tournament season, was watched closely at the Labor Day, Woodchuck and Junior Bruins tournaments in the early part of the split season midget season. St. Lawrence, Union and the University of Vermont to name a few were there watching just about every game making final decisions on the forward while having him take visits to the schools.

Pitsikoulis had a nice junior season that got him on college radar screens as he put up a 17 goal-22 assist-39 point season. That was good for second on the Westy team (behind Ben Smith's 58 points). Pitsikoulis followed that up with strong showings in summer tournaments such as the Eastern Spring and Summer Showcases, Beantown Classic and others. His performance during those tournaments created a recruiting frenzy.

In the end it was St. Lawrence who got the highly skilled, play making winger who has a nose for the net as well. Pitsikoulis is an '88 birth year who grew up playing in Montreal and came to the United States last year to attend the Westminster School. It was there that he played with former Little Bruins and Junior Bruins (EJHL) forward Smith, Little Bruins forward Ollie Koo and former Little Bruin and current Junior Bruins (EJHL) defensemen Jon Wolter.

"Nick showed the commitment that is needed to get to the level that he was striving for," coach Chris MAsters commented. "He spent a lot of long hours in cars over the last 5-7 months traveling to tournaments, spending countless hours working on his body gaining strength and it is great to see that hard work pay off. St. Lawrence has a rich hockey tradition and is a fun place to play."

Westminster will look to Pitsikoulis to lead the way back to the prep playoffs. Last season they were knocked out in the first round by the Salisbury School.

Congratulation to Nick and his family.

COLLEGE HOCKEY SEASON KICKS OFF WITH OVER 40 BRUINS' ALUMNI IN ACTION
Six B's to play Tuesday night at Boston College

FRAMINGHAM, MA -On Tuesday, October 10 at 7:00 PM the Boston College Eagles and Northeastern Huskies will take the ice at the Kelly Rink in Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, MA. When the puck drops there will be six former Junior Bruins battling it out. With college hockey getting underway this past weekend with schools tuning up against, for the most part, Canadian universities the real season gets underway in earnest this coming weekend and there are Bruins' alumni all over college hockey rosters. There are, by our count, over forty players that have Junior Bruins roots.

If you are at a Hockey East game this season you will see a former Bruins player as there is, at least one, former B's player at every Hockey East school (save for UVM). Whenever you see U-Mass Amherst play U-Lowell or Northeastern there could be ten former B's on the ice. If all ten on the rosters dress that would mean that 25% of the players in the game were at one time in the Bruins' program. Come February when the Beanpot rolls around there will be eight former Bruins vying for Boston bragging rights.

On Tuesday night junior Pat Gannon (Junior Bruins-EJHL) will be joined by freshmen Ben Smith (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Little Bruins) when the Eagles and coach Jerry York take on the Greg Cronin led Huskies. When the Huskies make the short 3 mile drive from Huntington Avenue to Conte Forum there will be four former Bruins on the bus in sophomore sensation Ryan Ginand (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Little Bruins) and freshmen Chris Donovan (Junior Bruins-EJHL) and Jimmy Driscoll (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Little Bruins). The final Husky with B's ties is forward Jimmy Russo (Little Bruins).

Another former Junior Bruin, Joey Lavin, will be playing against Gannon, Smith and the rest of the Eagles on Friday night when the NTDP team comes to town on Friday night.

The Merrimack College Warriors are looking to get back on track and will rely on team captain Matty Byrnes (Junior Bruins-EJHL) and freshmen forward Pat Kimball (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Little Bruins). Byrnes enters his senior season and will not only be a leader on the ice but off the ice as well.

Down the road in Providence sophomore defensemen Cody Wild (Junior Bruins-EJHL, Junior Bruins Midget AAA and Little Bruins) will again be a key player for coach Tim Army's friars. Wild had a brilliant freshmen season. Wild also was a pick of the Edmonton Oilers is this past summers NHL Entry Draft. Friar sophomore goalie Chris Mannix was a Little Bruin five seasons ago.

The U-Mass Lowell Riverhawks are set to hit the ice with four Bruins alumni. Senior defensemen Jake Pence (Junior Bruins-EJHL) is joined by freshmen forward Kory Falite (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Junior Bruins Midget AAA). Nevin Hamilton (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Little Bruins) will be battling for the starting goaltending position in his first season in action with Lowell. Also on the Riverhawks roster is former Little Bruins forward Nick Monroe.

Take a trip to Durham, NH and you will find Bobby Butler (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Little Bruins) suiting up for the UNH Wildcats. Butler becomes the first Junior Bruins player to suit up coach Dick Umile. The Whittemore Center is home to the most rabid fans in the east and they will no doubt come to love Butler.

Continue north to Orono, ME and Bret Tyler (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Little Bruins) begins his junior season for the Black Bears. Tyler has been contributing since his first day at Maine and will again be an impact player for the coach Tim Whitehead as they look to continue their success of the last six years.

Heading west from the Junior Bruins' home rink, the New England sports Center in Marlborough, MA and you will find the Mullins Center on the campus of U-Mass Amherst. There is a half dozen players with Bruins ties. Former All Hockey East Rookie team defensemen Dave Leaderer (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Junior Bruins Midget AAA team) is joined by sophomore forward Al Berry ((Junior Bruins-EJHL), junior forward Matt Burto (Junior Bruins-EJHL) and sophomore defensemen Topher Bevis (Junior Bruins-EJHL). Coach Toot Cahoon also has two former Little Bruins in forwards Cory Quirk and Will Ortiz.

Rounding out the Hockey East contingent is sophomore forward Jason Lawrence (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Little Bruins) who had a great freshmen season at Agganis Arena for coach Jack Parker and Boston University. Lawrence also holds bragging rights for the year as his Terriers won the 2006 Beanpot title. In those two Beanpot games the Saugus native played a major role picking up a goal and two assists in the opener and adding a goal in the finals.

Two former Little Bruins who will look to steal those bragging rights are sophomore defensemen Brian McCafferty and freshmen forward Doug Rogers at Harvard.

Out in Potsdam, NY you will find goalie Kyle McNulty (Junior Bruins-EJHL) and forward Jon Marshall (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Junior Bruins Midget AAA team). The Scarlet Knights are off to a good start as they opened the year with two wins against RIT and Niagara.

Yale University is the place to find former Little Bruins captain Pat Brosnihan. Brosnihan will have a new coach as Keith Allain has replaced Tim Taylor in New Haven.

The Skating Dutchmen at Union have a quintet of former B's. Make it 6 when counting former Bruins coach Billy Riga. Juniors Sammy Bowles (Junior Bruins-EJHL) and Torren Del Forte (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Junior Bruins Midget AAA) were joined last season by defensemen Mike Harr (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Little Bruins). This year coach Nate Leaman adds defensemen Jon Lareau (Junior Bruins-EJHL) to the fold. The elder statesmen in Schenectady is senior forward Scott Brady (Junior Bruins-EJHL).

The Bentley Falcons have two former B's as sophomore defensemen Casey Russell (Junior Bruins-EJHL) and freshmen Nick DeCroo (Junior Bruins-EJHL) are ready to battle it out in the Atlantic Hockey Conference.

Goalie Chris Rossi (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Little Bruins) begins his college career at Bowdoin for coach Terry Meagher this season and if you find yourself in the Brunswick, ME area this winter make sure to stop in at Dayton Arena. it will be worth the trip and your time!

Another rink and campus worth your time and effort to get to is West Point. The Cadets have junior defensemen Ian McDougall (Junior Bruins-EJHL) back for his third season of college action.

In Northfield, VT Billy Kasper (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Junior Bruins Midget AAA) will get his college career underway as he plays for coach Mike McShane at Norwich's Krietzberg Arena.

Billerica native Jarrett Scarpaci (Junior Bruins-EJHL an Little Bruins) begins his senior season at UConn and will open with a tough road trip as the Huskies head west to play at Bowling Green and at Michigan.

Two other players with B's ties are forward Mike Luzzi (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Junior Bruins Midget AAA) and Joe DiCamillo (Junior Bruins-EJHL and Junior Bruins Midget AAA). Luzzi begins his sophomore season at Manhattanville while DiCamillo begins his freshman campaign for the Valients.

Rounding out our Bruins' Alumni College preview is defensemen Rob Pagani (Junior Bruins Midget AAA) who will be a sophomore defensemen at Wentworth. Matthews Arena, home to the Leopards, is one of Boston's best arenas to watch a game.

For some the season has already started and others get underway in the coming week. Whatever the case may be we wish all the former Bruins good luck!

**If we overlooked someone please let us know: JUNIOR BRUINS EMAIL

 

SHEA TO BOSTON COLLEGE
Bruins Defensemen Realizes Life Long Dream

FRAMINGHAM, MA-Boston College coach Jerry York got the call on Monday from Bruins' defensemen Edwin Shea letting him know he has accepted the Eagles' full scholarship offer to play at the Heights. Shea, whose life long hockey dream was to suit up in the maroon and gold, had a number of big time programs hot on his tail such as UNH, Providence, Maine and Harvard. Those schools did not make it easy for Shea but in the end BC was the right fit for Shea.

Shea, a junior, is starting his second season with the Bruins' EJHL team. A year ago he played in all 62 games and had a 3-24-27 line along with an impressive +34 which was good for second on the team. He only trailed team captain and Northeastern freshmen defensemen Jimmy Driscoll in plus/minus. Shea is a dominant defensemen who is nearly impossible to beat one on one, has excellent stick skills, good speed, quick feet, a hard, low accurate shot and is ultra competitive. Whether it be running your power play or defending a one goal lead with a minute to play in the game Shea is the guy you want on the ice.

Shea has been a long time Bruin who first caught the Bruins' coaches eye when he was starring for the 1989 Minuteman Flames and helping lead them to three straight MBHL titles. He was with the Bruins 1989 summer tournament team from its inception and was a part of the teams that had a two year stretch of winning every tournament they entered.

When he was a bantam minor the Bruins recruited him to play for them full time for the Junior Bruins Midget AAA team (that team is now the Bruins' entry into the Empire league). Shea made an immediate impact helping lead his team to a Bruins' record setting season for wins as the team went 58-14-5 and won the 2003 MA Select League Labor Day Classic, 2003 Junior Bruins Shootout, 2003 New York International Cup, 2004 EMJHL Playoff Champs and were semi finalists at the Top Gun Blue Chip Classic and the Northwood tournament. In his first campaign with the black and gold Shea had a 3 goal-31 assist-34 point season. Like in his first season with the EJHL team last year he was solid in all three zones and led the team with a +41.

He followed that up with a stellar 2004-2005 season in which he again led the team in plus/minus with a (then) record setting +59. En route to the team compiling a 42-20-2 and a EMJHL Regular Season title Shea was voted Defensive Player of the Year. That season he also had a 19-25-44 line.

"We are proud of Edwin and the development he has shown over the four seasons in our program and could not be happier that he has achieved his dream of playing for Boston College. It is great to see his hard work, sacrifice and commitment pay off," Chris Masters commented. "When Edwin first suited up in a Bruins uniform it was in Montreal in 2000 at the Repentigny tournament we knew then he was a special player that was among the best at his age group in New England. From there he put in the long hours to reach his goals and it is great to see."

Shea will be counted on to continue his strong play and raise it to a new level this season as the Bruins' defense will be counted on to lead the team.

Congratulations to Edwin and the Shea family.

IT'S A BOY!!!
8 pounder arrives healthy; Mom doing great

Story Update: At last a Name!

MOUNT AUBURN HOSPITAL- Yet To Be Named has finally got himself a proper name: Jackson Christopher Masters. Jackson is doing great and spends most of his days sleeping quietly and constantly being told how beautiful, handsome and adorable he is by family and friends that have visited in the hospital or seen his pictures here. Most follow up the beautiful, handsome and adorable compliments with saying how much he takes after his Uncle Chris.

There was some concern that he was not eating much and was refusing the bottle. After much discussion and thought as to what the problem was and what the solution is, Jackson was given a plate of nacho's and chicken fingers with honey mustard sauce and he ate the plates clean. Further proof that he is his father's son.

Now that he is eating like a horse sucking bottles down with ease he now adds that to his daily routine of eating, sleeping and being held. All wish they could switch places with him and spend their days the same way.

MOUNT AUBURN HOSPITAL- Peter and Amy Masters welcomed a bouncing baby boy into the world at 11:06 PM on Wednesday, October 11 at the Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA.

The little scrapper, Yet To Be Named, has ten fingers, ten toes and everything else is in the right place and has been given a clean bill of health! Mom is also doing great and there were no complications during the delivery.

It was not until close to midnight that the proud Dad came to tell the group of family and friends that Mom and baby boy are all doing great. You may have heard screams of joy around that same time wherever you were in the Commonwealth. If you were wondering what that sound was it was the combination of both grandmothers as they were told it was a healthy baby boy and that Mom was doing fine.

The baby's sex was a surprise to the end although those that know Dad knew it must be a boy when the baby was late in arriving (due date was 5 days ago).

There was an appropriate amount of gushing by family and friends over the little guy and as far as I can tell Yet To Be Named will solve all the worlds problems before his 5th birthday so there is no need to worry about world hunger, nuclear weapons or the cost of oil. He has it covered.

Yet to be Named came in at 8 pounds 2 ounces with a healthy head of strawberry blondish hair and not making a peep. His height had yet to be measured but he looks like he is a good length (about the length of a medium sized duffle bag).

It was tough to tell if he is going to be a right or left shot but when handed a mini hockey stick after the cord was cut he grabbed the top of the stick with his right hand so we think a lefty. We'll need to see how his shot and "hands" are before we can pencil him at forward or as a defensemen.

He is being for fitted for skates early next week. Learn to skate lessons to follow shortly thereafter.

Congrats to Peter and Amy!

About one hour old.

About 20 hours old.

MAKE IT SEVEN FOR '97 B's
B's end AAA season on high note

MARLBORO, MA - The 1997 Junior Bruins walked all over a weak tournament field at the North American Summer Championships to capture yet another tournament title.

The '97 B's have now ripped through the 41 teams they have played over the last two years and sit with a two year record of 40-0-1 and have now won all seven tournaments they have played in. On the mantle sits two OTTF Spring Classic titles (Toronto), two Mission Cup titles (Montreal), one CT. Yankees title, an Icebreaker title (Montreal) and now the North American Summer Championship crown.

Friday the B's ripped through the Nova Scotia Selects and Team New Brunswick 6-0 and 12-1, respectively. Derek Blanchette and Cam Fisher led the way in the 6-0 shutout with two goals each. Later that day it was a five goal game from Jeremy Bracco that got the Bruins on a roll. Robbie Roche had a two goal game and Cam Askew, Jack Adams, Matt Dillon, John Marino and Charlie McAvoy had singletons.

Saturday was more of the same as the Mongoose from Connecticut were victimized by the '97 Bruins 11-0. The attack was led by Bracco's hat trick and two goal outputs from Adams and Fisher. Also scoring were Dillon, Roche, McAvoy and JJ Layton.

The semi finals were a rematch with the Mongoose and they got blanked again 8-0 and that put the bruins into the finals again for a rematch with the Nova Scotia Selects. The Selects hung tough for the first part of the game but could not hold on much longer than that as the Bruins scored late in the first and then poured it on in the second and third period. Bracco had a four goal game giving him 17 on the weekend while Askew (2), Adams (2), Dillon (2), Fisher, Burke and McAvoy also scored.

The defensive quintet of McAvoy, Noah Hanifin, Cam Connors, John Marino and Layton were their usual dominant selves and goalies Elijah Harris and Michael Bullion were there as the final line of defense when called upon.

"This wraps up another banner season for the 1997 Junior Bruins," said Chris Masters. "This is a special group of talented players. They are as dominant as any team we have ever had to date. What makes it that much more enjoyable is a that they are also a fun group of players and we have a great group of parents. It makes the weekend trips and tournaments a lot of fun. They have a target on their backs and teams will certainly be gunning for us in 2007 the same way teams used to take aim at other summer tournament juggernauts like the 1986 Montreal Mission, 1990 Boston Icemen, 1986 Montreal Vipers, 1990 Ontario Blues and the 1989 Junior Bruins during their hey days."

SKATING DUTCHMEN GET COMMITMENT FROM SIMPSON
Little Bruins forward headed to Union in '07

FRAMINGHAM, MA-Little Bruins forward, and newly elected captain, John Simpson made his commitment last week and the talented forward will be heading to Union College next fall. Simpson, an '87 forward from Boxborough, MA goes to Lawrence Academy where he helped lead his team to a prep school playoff appearance a season ago.

Simpson spent last fall with the Little Bruins and had a productive fall for the B's with 21 points in 29 games. The numbers never tell the whole story with Simpson as his engine never stops and he is constantly making things happier for his team.

Simpson's strength's are his skating, speed, poise with the puck and offensive creativity. More than all of that it may be that he is always the hardest working player on the ice. He is a threat every time he steps on the ice and when he touches the puck other teams better be on him quick because if you give him time and space he will make you pay.

"John is a coaches dream. He has a great attitude, is a relentless worker and will do anything you ask him. I imagine he is also a fun player to be on a line with since he sees the ice so well and knows how to find the open man," Chris Masters commented. "I think Union did a great job and were way ahead of the curve on Simpson. I think there are going to be a lot of schools that wish they had gotten in on recruiting Simpson."

Simpson had been on Union's radar screen since last season and a final decision was made by the Union staff to offer Simpson following the Beantown Classic where they watched every minute of his games. Merrimack College was also in the picture on the recruiting trail.

Congratulations to John and the Simpson family.

MOSES TO UNH!!!
Long time Bruin to be a Wildcat in '08

FRAMINGHAM, MA-Coming off a season for the ages Bruins forward Steve Moses was red hot. He followed up a record breaking season in '05-'06 with a strong showing at some key summer tournaments (Prospects, Beantown Classic, USA Festival) that accelerated his recruiting, and, after narrowing his choices to UNH, Maine and Dartmouth he committed to the Hockey East power this past Monday night.

Moses' banner season a year ago saw him earn Empire League MVP and Best Forward honors as well as being named to the first team All Conference on the heels of his 98 point totals in regular seasons action. His 45 goals and 53 assists were also tops in the league. In addition to that individual success he was a key to the teams first place finish with a 40-4-1 record, an appearance in the league championship game and a berth at USA Hockey nationals in Philadelphia this past March and April.

Moses was also voted MVP by his peers and picked up that hardware at the Bruins' end of year banquet. On the season Moses had a staggering 71 goals, 77 assists for 148 points. Those are all single season records for goals, assists and points for the team. In those totals were 10 game winning goals, 19 power play goals and 4 short handed tallies. He was also a +50 on the year.

Last season was his second with the team and program on a full time basis. In '04-'05 he put up a 21-32-53 line and was voted the teams Most Improved Player. The '04-'05 season was not his first time in a Bruins jersey as Moses has been a long time member of the Bruins 1989 AAA tournament team. It was the 1989 and 1990 birth years in 2001 that saw the Bruins organization put tournament teams together younger than those in our midget and junior programs. It was that '89 team that had a tremendous amount of success from the onset and Moses was a catalyst of that team as well as they went to Montreal and Toronto and won the Repentigny tournament, Mission Cup and Prospects. Moses, along with other Bruins regulars like Edwin Shea, Joey Lavin, Josh Franklin and Andrew Glass (to name a few) were the bedrock of those teams that went two years winning every tournament they entered.

Moses' hard work over the last few years paid big dividends over the second half of the '04-'05 season and kicked into high gear a year ago. A rink rat who never saw a sheet of ice he didn't like, he, along with his high skill level and tremendous skating, is a relentless worker who put in long hours and made the type of sacrifices needed to reach his hockey goals.

"We are thrilled with any player that plays for us, whether it is for a week, month, split season or a full year that reaches his goal of playing college hockey but to see a player who has been a member of the Bruins family for as long as Steve has, and to see him grow as a player and person over the course of 5-6 years, is that much more rewarding," coach Chris Masters said following Moses' announcement. "He is a dynamic player that could become even more dangerous than he already is with the new rules enforcement going on in the game. With less clutching, grabbing and stick work he will have that much more room on the ice to use his speed and skill to make things happen."

Moses had offers from U-Maine, Dartmouth in addition to interest from several other schools including Boston College. In the end, UNH was the school that was the best fit for he and his family. Moses will arrive in Durham for the '08-'09 school year and has earned a full scholarship. His freshmen year he will join former Bruins Bobby Butler who will be entering his junior season.

"In today's hockey world, full scholarships are few and far between, and to earn one and commit two years away from stepping onto campus says a lot about Stevie and the type of player he is. He, and his family, deserve all the credit for his hockey successes and we are expecting big things out of him this coming season with our EJ team," coach Peter Masters commented.

Congratulations to Stevie and the Moses family.

92 BRUINS RUN THE TABLE!!!
Mingoia-Parker-Arnold line score three to lead Bruins in title game against Albany Spirit

MARLBORO, MA-The '92 Bruins finished their summer tournament season off with a title on Sunday as they dispatched the Albany Spirit by a 4-1 score. That capped off a nice weekend for the black and gold 92'ers who went 5-0 on the weekend en route to the title.

In the finals the troika of left winger Trevor Mingoia, center Jon Parker and right winger Bill Arnold had three goals to pace the team offensively and the goalie duo of Jonathan Drago and Petie Von Rosenvinge both played well to keep the Spirit's offense at bay.

The team got off a to a nice start blanking Team Dynamics 8-0 behind the two goal performances of Parker and defensemen Kevin Clare. Also scoring for the B's were Bill Arnold, Pat Doherty, Peter Michailidis and Devin Coon. Later that night the black and gold ripped the Lowell Jr. Riverhawks 14-0. Arnold led the charge in this one with a four goal game. Other multiple scorers were Parker, Michailidis and Clare who all had two tucks.

Saturday morning the Bruins continued to roll and got a strong performance from their crew of defensemen as Clare, Coon, Ryan Brothers, Pat Doherty and Danny Federico all were great in helping goalies Petie Von Rosenvinge and Jonathan Drago post the teams third consecutive shutout, 8-0.

The semi finals Saturday afternoon proved to the teams toughest test of the weekend as the Milford Blues played hard. Federico got the Bruins on the board with a shot from the left point on a play set up by Parker and Brothers. The Bruins would pot two in the middle frame with Parker finishing off a nice feed from John Knisley. Mike Seward, on a Matt Barry assist, gave the Bruins a 3-1 lead. A last second goal by the Blues brought the game to 3-2 as the teams headed for the final period with a trip to the finals on the line. A power play goal by Arnold was the insurance the B's needed. Parker and Coon had assists on the final goal and the Bruins held on to win and advanced to the finals to play the Albany Spirit.

"It is always nice to end the summer with a win," coach Andy Powers said following the weekend. "This was an extremely talented group of players and when they faced the top teams in the tournament they also kicked up their competitive intensity and outworked the teams we played in the semi finals and finals."

 

94's GET IT DONE!!!
Bruins End Season with a Win at NAHC

MARLBORO, MA-The 1994 Bruins ended their season at the North American Summer Championships with a dominating performance destroying everyone in their path. The Bruins ran roughshod over their three round robin opponents earning a"bye" into the finals where they handled the Atlantic Selects, 7-2.

The Bruins opened up action at their final tournament of the year with a 9-0 drubbing of the Atlantic Selects. Adam Gilmour had a two goal game as did Ryan Fitzgerald and Zach Pochiro. Scoring singletons for the B's were Brian Morgan, Frankie Vatrano and Ryan Scarfo.

Up next for the Bruins were the NJ Rockets who were also blanked by Bruins goalie Jonathan Gillies. Vatrano lit the lamp four times while Fitzgerald had another two goal game. Rounding out the scoring were Jeff Taylor and Brian Morgan. Gilmour had a nice game setting up three goals.

The B's came out roaring against the Conquistadors in their third game putting 17 on the board and shutting out their third straight opponent. It was men against boys in this one and everyone got in on the fun. Vatrano had his second four goal game of the tournament leading the way.

While the offense was flying high all weekend the Bruins' rearguards were rock solid in all three zones. Taylor, Charlie Donners, Matt Mortimer, Kevin McKernan, Matt Grzelcyk and Nick Holt were great all weekend keeping other teams off the board and with starting the teams offense.

In the finals the Bruins had a "lay up" as they played a team they had already beaten in the Atlantic Selects. The Selects came out energized and played the Bruins tight for most of the game. It was late in the game that the Bruins pulled away for a 7-2 win. Vatrano scored his 1oth and 11 goals of the weekend and Gilmour had another two goal game. Pochiro, Taylor and Morgan also picked up goals. Max Franklin, Jake McLaughlin, Vatrano (3), Pochiro (2) and Morgan had assists in the finals.

"You never know what kind of competition you will find at certain tournaments and had we known what the competition would have been we would have played this team at the '93 level," coach Chris Masters commented "Regardless, this was a fun group to coach and it should serve as a nice confidence boost to the players as they gear up for their winter seasons."

GOLF OUTING A SUCCESS!!!
Von Rosenvinge, McLaughlin, Tierney and Connertan post 57 to win tournament

HOPKINTON, MA - The Junior Bruins 3rd Annual Golf Outing was a huge success once again. Perfect weather, a new scoring record for the tournament and a stellar performance by Andy Powers emceeing the event all contributed to a great day at the Hopkinton Country Club.

On possibly the best day of the year with the sun shining, not a cloud in the sky, temperatures in the low 80's and a nice breeze the 100 or so golfers enjoyed perfect conditions to enjoy a day of golf. The day got started with lunch at noon and then the balls were in the air at 1:00 PM.

The foursome of Bruce Von Rosenvinge, Dan McLaughlin, Tim Tierney and Joe Connertan shot a 57 (14 under) to win first place while former Bruins Kory Falite, Jason Lawrence, Mike Luzzi were joined by Paul Scola to round out their foursome and they posted a 58 to take second place. There were three teams that put up an eleven under 60 to tie for third place. The foursome of Geno Binda Sr., Geno Binda Jr., Jay Durfee and Jerry O'Neill won the tiebreaker to come in third.

Following golf everyone retreated to the ballroom for a cocktail hour with Hors d'oeuvres served. A BBQ buffet dinner was then served and the raffle drawing and auction items were then presented.

The highlight of the day may have been the performance of Bruins' coach Andy Powers behind the mic. Powers had the room roaring with laughter as he called out the raffle winners and was in charge of the live auction. As one person in attendance commented after the day was done, "Powers alone was worth the price of admission!"

"I can't thank everyone enough for all of their support and help in making this event a success," Chris Masters commented following the golf outing. "The support we got from those who donated raffle and auction items, the companies who advertised and donated items for our gift bag, all those who golfed and others who graciously donated and supported the event financially made the day happen and be the success it was."

"The biggest thanks though goes to the volunteers who helped all day at the course. Without them we would have been lost. They were great! A special thanks also goes out to Jen Brothers who deserves a lot of the credit for making the day a success. She was her usually super star self and made the day run smooth and without any problems."

"It was also great to have so many former players and families there. We really hope that as the golf outing grows we get more and more of our former players and families at the event and that it serves as a great way to stay connected to our alumni and to make the day a reunion of sorts."

The 2007 Junior Bruins Golf Outing is already being planned and will take place in late July (as it has for the last three years) or in late August (Monday, August 27th).

2006 Golf Outing Results

1st Place: 57 (-14)
Dan McLaughlin, Bruce Von Rosenvinge, Tim Tierney and Joe Connertan

2nd Place: 58 (-13)
Kory Falite, Mike Luzzi, Paul Scola and Jason Lawrence

3rd Place: 60 (-11)
***Gene Binda Sr., Gene Binda Jr., Jay Durfee and Jerry O'Neill

3rd Place: 60 (-11)
Chris Masters, Brendan Buckley, Mike Mottau and Kevin Caulfield

3rd Place: 60 (-11)
Sean Tremblay, Kenny Rausch, Bill Riga, Mark Workman and Gene Reilly

***Won tie breaker

Long Drive:
Mike Luzzi

Closest to the Pin:
Bruce Von Rosenvinge

Grand Prize Raffle Winner:
Dan Murphy

2006 Auction Items

The following items will be part of the 2006 Auction as well as Raffle Items. There are several ways to bid on all items listed below.

The following is a PARTIAL list of items that will be available at this years Golf outing.  Additional items will be added over the next two weeks.

• Round of golf (threesome) at the Myopia Hunt Club.  Myopia is a Top 100 course in the US and a Top 5 course in Massachusetts that has hosted four US Opens.  Myopia is also the only course to have two holes on the Top 100 Golf Holes.  This spectacular layout in South Hamilton, MA has been donated by Chris Welles and the winning bidder will bring two others (3 total) and be guests of Mr. Welles at the Myopia Hunt Club. Donated by Mr. Chris Welles. (Priceless)
• Foursome at The Ridge Club.  The Ridge Club is one of the premier private country clubs on Cape Cod.  Located just over the Sagamore Bridge in Sandwich, MA this spectacular layout is carved through the gated community at the Club on lush, rolling hills.  The Ridge Club has become a favorite to the hockey community as current and former NHL stars such as Bobby Orr, Derek Sanderson, Tom Poti and Kieth Tkachuk call the course home in the summer.  The winner bidder must use the foursome between September 5, 2006 and May 17, 2007 (Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday) and includes use of the range and carts.  View the picturesque course by visiting the RIDGE CLUB'S web site.  Donated by Mr. Christopher Condron. ($548 value)
• Foursome at Hopkinton Country Club.  The host of the Junior Bruins Golf Outing has donated a round of golf for four at the HCC.  Hopkinton Country Club is a private, 18 hole Par 71, championship golf course designed by British architect Ian Scott-Taylor. Donated by the HCC. ($360 value)
• Paul Stewart Autographed Jersey and 4 tickets to Boston Bruins game in owners’ box-Hall of Fame referee Paul Stewart has signed one of his referee jerseys and donated 4 tickets to a Bruins game this coming season.  The tickets are in the owners box and provide a once in a lifetime chance to see the game from the owners box.  Donated by Mr. Paul Stewart. (Priceless)
• Sergei Samsonov Autographed Jersey- NHL All-Star and former Bruins forward has signed one of his Boston Bruins #14 jersey. Donated by Great Skate.
• RBK 9K Pump Skates-A gift certificate for Reebok RBK 9K Pump skates. Winner chooses size and mails in cefrtificate to Reebok and they are shipped skates. Donated by Mr. Bob Munroe and Reebok. ($500 value)

Raffle Items:

• 2 Reebok hockey sticks (right shot) donated by Mr. Bob Monroe and Reebok.
• 2 Reebok hockey sticks (left shot) donated by Mr. Bob Monroe and Reebok.
• An autographed photo of Kevyn Adams of the Carolina Hurricanes with a certificate of authenticity donated by Mr. Bob Munroe and Reebok.
• A gift certificate for Reebok hockey skates (winner chooses model and size) donated by Mr. Bob Munroe and Reebok.
• Gift Certificates’ to Maggiano’s Restaurant in Boston’s theatre district donated by MAGGIANO'S.
• Mission Cup sweatshirts (2) donated by Mr. Dave Harroch.
• Mission Hockey hats (40) donated by Mr. Dave Harroch.
• Mission Cup t-shirts (2) donated by Mr. Dave Harroch.
• Sergei Samsonov Autographed Jersey- NHL All-Star and former Bruins forward has signed one of his Boston Bruins #14 jersey. Donated by Great Skate.
• Ron Francis Autographed Jersey-Future Hall of Famer.  Francis is #4 on the NHL’s All Time Points leaders behind only Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Gordie Howe. (Donated by Bob Monroe)
• Three Hour Long Personal Golf Lessons at The Golf Learning Center at Juniper Hills- Kevin Sullivan, teaching pro at GTC in Northboro, MA, has donated three hour long personal golf lessons that include video analysis of your swing., Mr. Sullivan is one of the top teachers in the state. Donated by Mr. Kevin Sullivan. ($300 value)
• Golf Umbrella's (6) that feature patented wind resistance flaps. Donated by Mr. Steve McCool.
• Junior Bruins gear that includes: hats, t-shirts, polo’s, sweatshirts, jackets, hockey bags and more donated by the Junior Bruins.
• Year subscription to the US Hockey Report- USHR (2) donated by Mr. Chris Warner.
• Four $25 Gift Certificate’s to TOM'S GOURMET MARKETPLACE in Northboro, MA. Donated by Mr. Tom Ormondroyd.
• Six free 30-minute one-on-one personal training sessions at PUCKMASTERS-MARLBORO ($300 value) donated by Pat Nugent.
• One free registration in any single day holiday clinic at PUCKMASTERS-MARLBORO ($75 value) donated by Mr. Pat Nugent.
• One free registration in and week long holiday clinic at PUCKMASTERS-MARLBORO ($175 value) donated by Mr. Pat Nugent.
• Two tickets to the Boston Bruins verse the New Jersey Devils game at the Garden on Thursday, December 14 @ 7:00 PM. Donated by Mr. Peter Gilfoy.
• $25 Gift Card to Pure Hockey. Donated by PURE HOCKEY.
• Farrell Shoulder Pads (6). Donated by Mr. Danny Farrell.
• Nike golf shoes. Donated by Mr. Joe Montiero.
• Driver, 3 Wood and 5 Wood. Donated by Mr. Joe Montiero.
• Many more to follow!!

3rd ANNUAL GOLF OUTING ON HORIZON
Monday, July 24th at the Hopkinton Country Club

FRAMINGHAM, MA-The Junior Bruins Annual Golf Outing is right around the corner. The Outing will take place on Monday, July 24th at the Hopkinton Country Club. The Golf Outing is the organization's primary fundraiser with monies benefiting the Bay State Hockey Foundation. The vast majority of the monies generated at the Golf Outing will be allocated to "need based" scholarships for players in the Junior Bruins programs and beyond.

Every year there are players that play on the various Junior Bruins teams (EJHL, Empire, Little Bruins and AAA tournament teams) that need some form of financial assistance. In the past we have gotten support from companies and individuals who are able to help those in need. As the cost of playing continues to increase (ice, league fees, referee's, etc.) we have looked to other avenues to generate money to make sure that financial constraints do not hinder a player's ability to reach his athletic and education goals. We also use the Golf Outing to make certain upgrades to our program that benefit all of our players. The Golf Outing has been instrumental in raising money over the last two years.

"The success of the Golf Outing has been the incredible generosity of the companies and individuals who have attended the event, donated items for the raffle and auction, bought auction items and those who made cash donations," Chris Masters commented. "Again this year we have already received dozens of items for the raffle and auction. We have also gotten tremendous support from several companies that have bought advertising at the event and donated items for the gift bags."

Golf Outing Schedule

11:30-12:30 PM: Check-in/Registration
1:00 PM: Shotgun start (scramble style format)
4:30 PM: Cocktail reception starts immediately following golf in ballroom
5:00 PM: BBQ Buffet dinner, auction, raffle and awards presentation to winners in ballroom

If you are interested in participating in the Golf Outing we will take entries right through the beginning of the event. Pre-registration is appreciated and you can do so by going to our GOLF APPLICATION link or by emailing the JUNIOR BRUINS.

Cost: $165.
Includes:

• Greens fee's and cart
• Range balls for warm-up
• Complimentary non-alcoholic beverages at all Par 3's (compliments of WELCH'S)
• BBQ Buffet dinner
• Chance to win a Chevy Tahoe (compliments of PRIDE MOTOR GROUP)
• One Grand Prize Raffle ticket (winner takes $1500 off Junior Bruins tuition-non Bruins families get $1000 in cash)
• Use of club's facilities (locker room, sauna, etc.)
• Junior Bruins polo shirt (compliments of TRI STATE TRUCK CENTER)
• Junior Bruins visor (compliments of IDENTITY)
• Junior Bruins golf t-shirt (compliments of CUSTOM CRAFTED)

"When you add up all the gifts that have been donated for the players' gift bags, the dinner, the chance at winning a Chevy Tahoe in the Hole-in-One contest and all the other little extra's you really are getting a great package. We can't thank our sponsors and supporters for providing the items for the player's gift bags. The polo, visor and t-shirt has a value of $75-80 alone. We will also have a ton of great raffle and auction items," Masters continued.

Continue to check back to the web site for golf updates and notices. For more information go to our Golf Links above or go to our GENERAL INFORMATION link.

CODY WILD SELECTED BY EDMONTON OILERS
Long time Bruins, and current Providence Friar, rearguard tabbed by the 'Oil

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA-The Edmonton Oilers, fresh off an appearance in the Stanley Cups finals, used their fifth round selection on defensemen Cody Wild. Wild was taken with the 140th pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and it is just one more accomplishment for the talented North Providence product.

Wild was a long time member of the Bruins organization first coming to camps and as a player of the 1987 Junior Bruins AAA tournament. He played two seasons for the Little Bruins before committing full time to the program with the Junior Bruins Midget AAA team in his junior year. It did not take him long to get bumped up the EJHL team that season after spending a few months on the midget team. It was during that short stint with the Midget AAA Bruins that he officially accepted the scholarship offer Providence College made to him. He spent his senior year with the Junior Bruins (EJHL) team and was a key player in their run to the EJHL regular season and playoff championship.

This past season at Providence he made an immediate impact for coach Tim Army and the Friars. Wild was named to the Hockey East All Rookie Team as he had a five goal, sixteen assist and twenty one point freshmen campaign.

"We are excited for Cody and are thrilled that the he is realizing his dreams," Peter Masters commented. "We feel the best hockey he can play is in front of him and that he will continue to be an impact player at Providence and that playing at the NHL level is becoming more of a reality for him."

There were eight other players selected in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft that have Bruins ties (to varying degrees). Some played on our AAA tournament team while others played on one of our three fall and winter teams. They are: Joey Ryan (LA Kings), Brian Strait (Pittsburgh Penguins), Doug Rogers (NY Islanders), Jon Rheault (Philadelphia Flyers), Matt McCollem (St. Louis Blues), Brian Day (NY Islanders), Benn Ferriero (Phoenix Coyotes) and Will O'Neill (Atlanta Thrashers). Congrats to all!

RECORD SETTING DAY FOR BRUINS
6 of 7 teams advance to finals at Icebreaker tournament;
Bruins go 28-5

MARLBORO, MA - While the 1995, 1997 and 1998 Junior Bruins were winning their respective division titles at the Icebreaker tournament there were three other Bruins teams who advanced to the finals and another who made the semi finals.

The 1996 B's lost a frustrating game to Team Taz in overtime, 2-1. The 1992 and 1993 Bruins also lost in the finals while the '94 Bruins were beaten in the semi finals.

The Bruins organization went a combined 28-5 over the weekend.

"This was a great weekend for our players and teams," Chris Masters commented. "It was a very long weekend as games started as early as 6:20 AM every morning and as late as 10:30 PM but also very rewarding based on the hard work and success of our players. It was also nice to have all of our players, families and teams under one roof for a weekend. It made for a great environment and it was also great to see so many of our teams rooting on other age groups.

BACK TO BACK FOR '98'S
B's end season winning back to back titles; End inaugural
season with 16-1-1 record

MARLBORO, MA - The 1998 Junior Bruins had a breakout inaugural season as they made the finals of all three tournaments they entered (OTTF, Mission Cup and Icebreaker) and won the last two championships at Mission and this past weekend as they beat the Montreal Canadians, for the second time on the weekend, in the finals to win the Icebreaker tournament at the New England Sports Center.

The 1998 Junior Bruins earned the #1 seed during the course of round robin play and that drew the NY Mission in the semi finals. The Bruins were the #1 seed in six of the seven divisions at the tournament. They were the #2 seed in the one age group they were not the #1 seed.

The laid a 10-1 beating on the Mission as they got four goal performances from John DeRoche and Monty Graham to lead the offensively and a strong game in net from Dario LaTessa. that moved the Bruins onto the finals against the Montreal Canadians who advanced after a 5-4, double overtime semi final win.

The Bruins and Canadians had a tough game on Saturday as the two teams exchanged goals for the first 25 minutes of the game. When the Habs made it 5-4 the Bruins buckled down and pulled away scoring the last two goals of the game for a 7-4 win. The finals would not be that close as the black and gold raced out to a 4-1 first period lead. That was more than enough for goalie Bryan McGrath to work with and he only let in one more in the final thirty minutes. The bruins o0ffense kept cranking and they pumped home five more goals en route to a 9-2 final. in the finals the Bruins got goals from Joey Birolini (2), Mitchell Walinski (3), Dennis Cesana, Skyler Fontaine, Brendan Cordeiro and DeRoche.

That wraps up the 1998 Bruins opening season, and it was a successful one at that. The team went 16-1-1, advanced to the finals of every tournament and were tournament champs at the Mission Cup and Icebreaker. The team will play again in the spring of 2007.

MAKE IT 6
'97 Bruins win sixth straight tournament and run record to 35-0-1

MARLBORO, MA - The Bruins had a championship rematch with the Montreal Ice Storm on Sunday afternoon and, like they did at the Mission Cup, the Bruins took care of business. This time it was not a tight 3-1 win like it was in Montreal but a 8-2 thumping in the finals.

The Bruins 1997 team has now gone two years without a loss and that stretches over six tournaments. The team has shown in the past it can win on skill at tournaments that do not allow checking and now they have shown that they can play when the going gets rough.

Saturday the Bruins had two of the most physical games you will see and they came out on top in both beating the Montreal Ice Storm and the Noreaster. With players like Noah Hanifin, John Marino, Charlie McAvoy, Matty Dillon, Colin White, Cal Burke and others who like to dish out big hits they set the tone that this tem will not be intimidated by a physical game and would carry the play physically.

On Sunday morning the Bruins took care of the NY Mission for the second time in the weekend as Jake Burchill went the distance for the win in the pipes. That set up the finals rematch from the Mission Cup and gave the Bruins a third shot at beating the Ice Storm this season.

They did just that and moved their record against the Ice Storm to 3-0 on the year and their overall season record to 18-0 en route to their third championship of the season. The team has one tournament remaining but that is in August so the '97 Bruins will take a 6-7 week break before getting together again for the North American Hockey Championships at the Bruins home rink in Marlboro, MA.

CHAMPS!!!
1995 Bruins take Icebreaker title defeating New York Mission, 3-2

MARLBORO, MA-The Junior Bruins 1995 team this past weekend took down the Boston Icemen 5-1 in the semi finals and then beat the New York Mission in the finals, 3-2. The team, which barely had two lines showed a boatload of heart and determination to go 5-0 during the tournament.

The Bruins, after finishing as the #1 seed in their division had the Boston Icemen to deal with on Sunday morning. The Bruins jumped out to a 5-0 lead and got some key saves from Brian McGrath to keep the Icemen off the board till it was too late. A late goal spoiled the shutout but the Bruins moved onto the finals.

The Bruins 1995 team got off to a great start taking the lead in the fist period, and, while the Mission twice got the game even, they never fell behind and a stingy defense kept the Mission from sending the game to overtime. Defensemen Nick Holt was a warrior on the blue line, as were the other defensemen, all weekend. The trio of Holt, Gage Quinney and Griffin Durand all played brilliantly throughout the weekend and showed tremendous endurance playing with only three defensemen on Saturday and Sunday. '96'er Gianni Paolo was also integral in the teams success playing on Friday.

One forward who was a big help defensively all weekend was Jimmy Ricciardi. He was always the fist forward back in his own zone and he helped shut down the Mission's big gun in the finals. At the other end of the rink Nolan Vesey scored some big goals throughout the weekend.

"I was as proud of this group as any that played all weekend," coach chris MAters said. "While the competition may not have been what it was at Prospects or the Mission Cup, they still had a very strong team to beat in the finals and the heart and teamwork they displayed all weekend with such a short bench was incredible".

MASSACRE AT THE MISSION CUP
1998 Junior Bruins win first title destroying Vipers, 8-3, in finals

MONTREAL, QUEBEC- The Junior Bruins 1998 team did what they came just short of in Toronto as they beat the Montreal Vipers in the finals of the Mission Cup giving the '98's their first championship in just their second tournament. The B's did it in style as they dismantled the Vipers, for the second time of the weekend, 8-3. The Vipers were previously unbeaten before they ran into the B's.

The Bruins, like their '97 brethren, were the #1 seed after the round robin round. There they took down the Bulldog Ice Dogs, Montreal Vipers, North American Hockey Club and the Thunders. The game against the Thunders was an 18-0 drubbing that saw forward John DeRoche put up a 14 point game on 4 goals and 10 assists.

That pitted them against the Montreal Metro Selects in the semi finals. The Bruins balanced scoring attack did in the Selects as the Bruins got goals from four different players. Mitchell Walinski, who was excellent all weekend, opened the scoring in the first on a Brendan Hamblet and DeRoche play. Dennis Cesana scored his sixth goal of the weekend to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead in the second period. Jordan Caito assisted on the play. The lead was stretched to 3-0 when DeRoche finished off a Brendan Cordeiro play. In the third is was DeRoche setting up Hamblet to round out the scoring.

Not to be lost in the shuffle of the offensive exploits was the stellar play of goalie Bryan McGrath who had a shutout streak of 108:37 that wa broken in the finals. In the semi finals he really shined stopping the Selects several times when the game was still close.

In the finals the Bruins had a 2-0-1 lead after the fist on goals from DeRoche and Landon Quinney. Quinney scored his second of the game in the early part of the second period. Less then 20 seconds later the Vipers stuck back to make it a 3-2 game. DeRoche (pictured right) scored his second of the game with only :36 left in the period. The bruins scored a big goal only twenty seconds later when Caito tipped a Quinney shot from the right wig to give the Bruins a 5-2 lead after two.

In the third the Vipers refused to go away as they, again, made it a two goal game, when they scored at the 10:44 mark of the third. From there though the Bruins put it into over drive and scored three more top put the game out of reach and send the team pouring onto the ice to celebrate the championship. SCoring those were Quinney, Monty Graham and Walinski.

Las Vegas' Quinney (pictured-above left) was awarded the finals MVP during the trophy presentation. Quinney had a three goal and two assist performance in the finals.

"It was great to see the team play so well all weekend," coach Matt Swain commented. "They were very good in Toronto but great at this tournament. You could tell right from the drop of the puck on Friday morning that they looked more comfortable and that they had played together before. It was also greta to see that we could rely on our offensive firepower as well as a great core of defensemen and McGrath was great in the pipes. Cesana, Jack McCool (pictured left), Ryan Ward, Joe Doherty and Skyler Fontaine were excellent in the finals keeping the Vipers forwards to the perimeter and limiting their scoring chances."

The team finishes up their season at the Icebreaker tournament in late June at the New England Sports Center.

BACK TO BACK!!!
1997 Bruins defend Mission Cup title

MONTREAL, QUEBEC- The 1997 Junior Bruins ran the table at the Mission Cup and defended their title beating the Montreal Ice Storm 3-1 in the finals Sunday afternoon. That runs their season record to 12-0 and a two year record to 29-0-1.

The Bruins entered the playoffs as the #1 seed with their 4-0 record beating the Red Army, National Chiefs, Team Mississauga and the Vermont Jr. Ice Cats. In the semi finals they met the Montreal Metro Blades and the Bruins played their best game of the weekend.

The '97's. who played their worst game of the weekend Saturday night, were a different team Sunday morning as they blitzed the Blades scoring six goals in the first period and putting the game out of reach. Jeremy Bracco had a hat trick in the first, Cal Burke picked up two goals and Colin White scored a singleton to pace the bruins in the first. Jorgen Johnson went the distance picking up his third win of the weekend and looked sharp when called upon. The lone goal of the third period was a Matty Dillon tip of a Derek Blanchette shot. That put the Bruins into the finals against another hometown team, the Montreal Ice Storm.

The Storm is a familiar foe for the Bruins in Montreal as the two organizations have battled it out at the 1989, 1992 and 1996 levels over the last six years. Just last weekend the '96 Bruins beat the '96 Ice Storm in the finals of the Mission Cup.

The finals was a tight game that had Bruins goalie Kevin Resop (pictured above) making five big saves in the first six minutes of the game as the Bruins looked sloppy, tired and not ready to play. Lucky for them Resop made some big saves and the Ice Storm players could not find the back of the net on several breakaways and 2-1 rushes.

At the 8:53 mark of the first period Bracco got the Bruins on the board when he finished off a 3-2 rush. Jackson Costello (pictured above with Resop) and Blanchette each earned assists on the goal. Ice Storm tied the game two minutes later but the Bruins struck back quickly when Cam Fisher scored.

The Bruins would give themselves some breathing room when Bracco scored his second of the game on a rebound that was started when an Ice Storm player turned the puck over and Blanchette picked up the loose puck and got a shot to the net. Blanchette and Fisher led the way for forwards in the +/- department as they were both a +2 in the finals.

The Bruins would tighten their defense as Marino, JJ Layton, Robbie Roche and Charlie McAvoy all were solid i