Blast Rally Comes Up Short Against the Fast and Youthful Stoney Creek Generals

Heading into the Sunday matinee between the Stoney Creek Generals it’s safe to say the Blast were pretty confident after routing the team 10-3 at home on Friday night. The game certainly started off that way as the Blast had built a 2-0 lead before the game was even one minute old. Mark Taylor (:31) and Brandon Dietrich (:53) scored early to make it a very early 2 goal lead for the 1^st place Blast.

Kyle McQuade would combat the two early Blast goals with his first of four goals of the game at the 6:02 mark on the powerplay with Joel Prpic sitting for a hooking infraction. Prpic would then strike at 11:48 of the first with his team leading 9^th goal in as many games, to make it a 3-1 hockey game. The Blast were all ready to head to the second period carrying a two goal lead, but Generals forward Nathan Pageau had something to say about that as he scored his league leading 12^th goal of the season (tied with fellow Generals forward Kyle McQuade) with only 9 seconds remaining in the period to cut the lead to 3-2 heading into the second.

The second period would prove to be not as kind to the Blast, as they allowed four Generals goals, and failed to score a goal of their own in the middle frame. The Generals goal scorers in the second period were Kyle McQuade (2:12), Kyle Zettler (3:17), Kyle McQuade (hat trick goal at 4:56), and Sean Blanchard (12:14). Of those Generals’ goals two of them were with the man advantage. The Blast would head to the third and final period trailing the Generals 6-3.

The Blast looked rejuvenated during the third period but an odd bounce on goaltender Brett Leggat put the Generals up 7-3 at 3:12 of the final period. The Blast kept battling and finally got something going roughly half way through the period as Brandon Dietrich scored two goals to complete the hat trick in a span of: 29 seconds to make it a two goal game, 7-5. The Blast kept the pressure and intensity on the Generals for the rest of the period but failed to score on many pristine scoring opportunities. The Generals would hold on to win 7-5, as they improve to 5-5-1-1 on the season, while the Blast dropped their third game in the last four and fell to 10-2-0-1 on the season.

ICE CHIPS – Starting goaltenders were Anthony Marshall for the Blast and David DiGironimo for the Generals. Marshall and Leggat (replaced Marshall in the second period) stopped 24/31 shots, while DiGironimo stopped 40/45 for the Generals. The Blast went 0/3 on the power play, while the Generals scored on 3/6 chances with the man advantage. The Blast received 14 minutes in penalties and they were split between Bryan Hamm (8 PIM) and Joel Prpic (6 PIM). The Three Stars for the game were – 1. Kyle McQuade – 4 Goals 2. Joel Prpic – 1 Goal, 3 Assists 3. Brandon Dietrich – 3 Goals. The Blast are next in action on Friday January 3^rd, 2014 vs. the Welland Whalers for Strong Start Reading Night at the Civic Centre.

Blast Ready for the Young and Fast Gens Tonight

The Blast will take on the expansion Stoney Creek Generals tonight, as the team will host the Aire Serv Food Bank Night. All Brant County elementary and highschool students get into the game free with a valid student card and a non-perishable food item donation to the Brantford Food Bank.

This will be the first home match up between these two teams and will give Blast fans a chance to see the new ACH team. The only time these two teams faced off was back in November in Stoney Creek, where the Blast just narrowly pulled out a 6-5 victory, led by now injured Blast forward Greg Bullock (1G, 3A). Former Brantford Blast and Brantford Golden Eagles player Kyle Zettler finished with 2 goals and an assist in that game to lead Stoney Creek.

Both teams are coming off very good games on the road on Sunday, as the Blast just held on for a 6-4 win over Norwood and the Generals battled the high powered Dundas Real McCoy’s to a 5-4 OT loss.

The Blast (9-1-0-1) will not take the Generals (4-4-1-1) lightly at all this season as they have been tremendous for an expansion franchise. They have currently been loading up on ex-pros as of late, most recently signing Dennis Maxwell – a player that the Blast released earlier in the month. The game is sure to be a fast paced one with the speed and youth on the Generals. Players to watch out for from Stoney Creek include #13 Kyle Zettler, #24 Kyle McQuade and #14 Nathan Pageau, as they have both been very explosive offensively this season.

The Blast also bring their very high powered offence into this game, led by MegaTron Joel Prpic who is currently riding an 8 game point steak (13 points) and a 5 game goal streak (6 goals- and the longest in the ACH this season). Brandon Dietrich also is riding an impressive streak himself having assisted on 6 goals in his last 5 games. Mike Ruberto is heating up as of late with 4 goals and 1 assist in his last five games after starting the season with only 2 goals and 2 assists in his first six games.

This game lineup wise will see Bryan “HammerTime” Hamm still out serving the second game of his two game suspension for abuse of officials last Friday night in Brantford. As for goaltending it’s up in the air for the Blast – it could be either Leggat or Marshall at this point. For Stoney Creek, ex-Orillia Tundra David DiGironimo is most likely to start for the Generals tonight.

Doors open at 6:30 at the Civic Centre, with the puck dropping at 7:30 PM.

After this game the Blast will travel to the Gateway Ice Centre in Stoney Creek to complete the home-and-home series with the Generals and close out the 2013 portion of this season, and officially be past the half way mark of the season, having completed 13/24 games.

The Blast would like to wish everyone a very happy holiday season, have fun, be safe, and Merry Christmas! We are very gracious for your support.

Until Next Time – GO BLAST!

 

Blast Beat Norwood Vipers 6-4 on Teddy Bear Toss Night in Norwood

The Blast are once again back in the win column. After two straight losses to the hands of arch rival Dundas Real McCoy’s the Blast fought back to win a very entertaining 6-4 hockey game at the Norwood Community Centre in Norwood on Sunday night. The win improved the team to 9-1-0-1 on the season, while Norwood dropped to 2-9.

Captain Chad Spurr got the scoring started only 3:24 into the first period as he went upstairs for his 6^th goal of the season to make it 1-0 in favour of the Blast. Assists were given to Dave Russell and Jamie Williams. The Blast didn’t let up after that as they struck again to go up 2-0 at the 6:24 mark of the period as defenceman Andrew Lackner scored his 1^st goal in a Blast uniform, assists were given to Mike Ruberto and Jamie Williams. The Blast led in shots after the first by a slim margin of 10-8.

The second period was very entertaining as both teams chipped in two goals apiece during the period. Colin Baker of Norwood scored at the 3:31 mark of the period and teddy bears and balloons poured onto the ice surface. However, Mike Ruberto would increase the Blast lead to 4-1 after scoring two picture perfect goals at 7:52 and 11:13 of the second period. Ruberto’s second goal of the game was one that could’ve been included on SportsNet Top 10. Mark Prentice would add a powerplay goal at the 14:48 mark of the period to cut the lead to 4-2 heading into the third frame. Shots were 11-7 in favour of the Blast after two periods of play.

The third would become the most exciting period of the entire game as again the teams split the period with two goals each. Cam Sault started the third period scoring with a quick wrist shot that went five hole on the Norwood goaltender Ryan Aschaber to make it a 5-2 Blast lead. Mark Prentice added his second of the game, this time as Andrew Lackner sat for interference and cut the lead to 5-3 at the 9:01 mark of the period. Chris Johnston would add another goal just under two minutes later as he scored at 10:54 to cut the lead to 5-4 and make a game out of this one. All hopes of a Norwood comeback came to a hault as Joel Prpic scored his team leading 8^th goal of the season (in as many games) on a deflected shot to make it 6-4 with only 1:36 left in the third period.

ICE CHIPS – The Blast outshot the Vipers 29-22 in the game, many of those shots were great scoring chances for both teams. Ryan Healy, Mike Burgoyne and Jamie Williams all finished with two assists in the game. 3 Stars went to – 1. Mike Ruberto 2 goals and an assist 2. Mike Burgoyne 2A 3. Jamie Williams 2A. New acquisition Joe Iannino made his presence shown in the first period as he received 2 minutes for cross checking and a 10 minute misconduct for inciting an opponent. The Blast finished 0-3 on the powerplay, while Norwood scored 1/3 with the man advantage.

The Blast are next in action this Friday the 20^th at 7:30 at the Civic Centre for the Aire Serv Food Bank Night vs the Stoney Creek Generals – Blast fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items with them to the game to be donated to the Brantford Food Bank. The Blast will complete the second game of the home-and-home series as they travel to Stoney Creek on Sunday at 2:00 for a matinee with the Generals, it will also be the Blast’s last game of 2013, as they will be off until January 3^rd, 2014 for Christmas Break. 

Blast Fall Victim To The High Powered Real McCoy’s 10-2

The Blast knew to be wary of the Dundas Real McCoy’s who were coming off four straight victories, with a combined 33 goals scored in those four games. The Real McCoy’s lived up to their offensive prowess as they beat the Blast 10-2 yesterday night as they won their fifth straight game to improve to 5-2 on the season, while the Blast dropped to 8-1-0-1. The victory now gives Dundas 43 goals in their last 5 games, compared to only 20 against.  

Dundas got started off early with two goals by TJ Sakaluk and Cam Watson before the game was even 5 minutes old. They would add three goals in the final four minutes of the first period as Jerry Galway, Nick Smith and Scott Mifsud would all score before the end of the period. Shots were 11-7 in favour of Dundas and goaltender Brett Leggat was pulled to start the second as Anthony Marshall replaced him in the net. 

The second period was a little bit nicer to the Blast as they would only get outscored 3-1 after some big saves by Marshall early. Ryan Christie would score his first goal of the season to get things started and make it 6-0. Joel Prpic would cut into the lead as Teddy Bears poured onto the ice for our 12th Annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Culligan. Assists went to Jeff Caister and Mark Taylor. Scott Mifsud would score his second of the game on the powerplay, while Joe Koudys would score with 1:12 left in the period to make it 8-1 Dundas heading into the third. Shots were 10-9 for Dundas in the second. 

The third was a much better and nicer period for the Blast as it was a strong back and forth period. Scott Mifsud would score his hat trick goal at the 11:55 mark of the period. Darryl Smith would add a powerful wrist shot goal to close out the scoring for Dundas as they led 10-1. Jamie Williams would add his 3rd goal of the season with just over four minutes to go in the game. Drawing the assists were newcomer #26 Joe Iannino and player-coach Mike Burgoyne. Shots were 7-7 in the third period.

As mentioned the loss drops the Blast record to 8-1-0-1 on the season, dropping their second straight game to Dundas. The Blast will look to rebound as they travel roughly 3 hours up to Norwood on Sunday for a 6:30 showdown against the Norwood Vipers. The Vipers will have their own Teddy Bear Toss, as well as their Turkey Roll where a lucky fan will be chosen to roll a  turkey on the ice and try and get it into the net.

Until next time, GO BLAST GO!

 

Will VanNieuwenhuizen

 

Blast Gear Up For Teddy Bear Toss Night Against the Pesky Dundas Real McCoy’s

The Blast will play host to their biggest rivals tonight at 7:30 as they host the Real McCoy’s for their 12th Annual Teddy Bear Toss Night at the Civic Centre. The Blast (8-0-0-1) will face the same Dundas team (4-2) that beat them 4-3 in a shootout last Friday night in Dundas. 

The team is not taking Dundas lightly as usual, after the Blast took the first two games of the season series 3-0 and 3-1 respectively only to fall victim in the shootout last week thanks to a Mifsud shootout goal. Dundas got off to a slow start to this season, but is finally starting to get their legs and have been scoring a lot of goals as of late. They have scored 33 goals in their last 4 games, which were all victories, after only scoring one in their first two games. 

For the Blast as mentioned in the last posting it’s been a great team effort with many of the players hovering around 5 points on the season, while the Real McCoy’s are being lead by two unlikely players in Scott Mifsud with 14 points in only 6 games and Cam Watson with 9 points in 5 games. Ryan Christie and Nick Smith who usually are at tops of the team are in the middle of the pack with 3 and 4 points respectively on the season. 

It is sure to be a typical Brantford-Dundas game with fast paced hockey and a little bit of the rough stuff in their as well, likely carried over from last week’s game which got quite heated in the second period. 

As for your starting goaltenders tonight, nothing has been confirmed but if the Blast continue to go back-to-back between Leggat and Marshall, then Marshall will play tonight. As for Dundas it’ll likely be Michael Mole in between the pipes as opposed to ex Blast goalie Bryan Worosz – as Mole has started 4 of the 6 games so far. 

Don’t forget to bring your teddy bears to throw on the ice after the first Blast goal. All teddy bears will be collected by Culligan staff and distributed throughout Brantford to children less fortunate this Christmas season. 

Until next time, GO BLAST GO!

Strong Start to the 2013-2014 Season for the Blast

The 2013-2014 edition of the Brantford Blast have been very special thus far this season. After roaring out of the gates with 8 straight wins to start the season, the team met their first set back – suffering a 4-3 SO loss in Dundas against the Real McCoy’s. But the team still remains undefeated in regulation heading into their next home game – this Friday night at the Civic Centre, which will be the 12th Annual Teddy Bear Toss Night.

This year’s edition of the Blast isn’t quite like last year. Last year there were 3 of our players all in the top 10 in scoring (Jankus, C.Spurr and Ruberto). This year the Blast only have two players in the top 25 in scoring (Prpic – tied for 12th, and Taylor – tied for 15th). The team has a much more balanced and lethal attack this year, with 15 players on the team with 4 or more points through 9 games played.

New comer Brandon Dietrich (4 G, 7A in 8 GP) who recently played over in Europe has been a tremendous addition to the team and has found great chemistry with many of his new Blast teammates, but none other than MegaTron himself, Joel Prpic. Other new comers Chris Leveille (4G 4A in 7 GP)  (by far the fastest player in the ACH), Jeff Caister (1G 4A in 9 GP) and Andrew Lackner (2A but a very strong defensive force) have all fit in very nicely for the team so far.

The team currently leads the ACH by 3 points over second place Whitby Dunlops (7-3). The powerplay for the team currently ranks last in the league but is getting better, currently they have scored 6/52 times with the man advantage (11.54%). Their penalty kill is the marquee part of the team’s special teams, they have killed over 85% of opposition powerplays which currently ranks them in the middle of the league but have scored a remarkable 6 short handed goals in only 9 games played – which is first in the league and 4 ahead of second place (Norwood – with 2).

As mentioned the Blast will be back in action this Friday night at the Civic Centre for Teddy Bear Toss Night at 7:30 against Dundas. Will write another blog post prior to the game as a preview for the match up on Friday.