HOYER WINS MVB TITLE

10 time Bomber scoring leader, "Jean" Eric Hoyer, earned his first Most Valuable Bomber title for his work in the Summerfest 15 Tournament.  The Bombers tradition is to only give out MVB titles during championship seasons and that is the only reason why Hoyer' does not have multiple MVB titles.  "He'd have 7 of these if we were able to break through on some of those championships" noted Bomber captain Bill Auld. adding "Eric's value to the organization is incredible-he's been our best player for so many years."  Hoyer had 5 goals and 2 assists in the 4 game tournament and perhaps earned his MVB by netting three goals in the tournament final against the heavily favored Buzzards.

BOMBERS SURPRISE BUZZARDS-TAKE YACHT TITLE WITH 4 GOAL THIRD

The gold medal game for the Yacht division of the Summerfest tournament marked the fourth straight Federal league final the Bombers had played including the Winter and Spring 15 seasons and both the Holiday Smashup and Summerfest Tournaments. Up until last night they had won none of those finals. The Bombers became Summerfest 15 Yacht champs by scoring 6 unanswered goals after falling behind 2-0 in the first. The Buzzards's Troy Gorski two goals in fifteen seconds midway through the first stung the Bombers but they recovered quickly and drew even with goals from Kyle Kappmeier and Eric Hoyer. Then the Bombers made some noise gaining the lead with a skillful play and goal from Mark Bochner 43 seconds into the third. A powerplay goal by John Zimnoch provided some cushion and when Eric Hoyer scored two goals in 43 seconds, both off sweet passes from linemate Eric Silverman, midway through the final period the lead grew 6-2. As the seconds ticked away the Bombers had finally exercised the "finals curse" and were Summerfest 15 Yacht champions.

Spring 15 Season Ending Stat Leaders

POINTS:

30- BILL AULD (17G, 13A)


28- 'JEAN' ERIC HOYER' (16G 12A)
21- ERIC SILVERMAN (9G 12A)
16- ROB PELLEGRINO (7G 9A)
15- JOHN ZIMNOCH (3G 12A)
12- MARK BOCHNER (8G 4A)
11- DAVE BOCHNER (4G 7A)
10- ROBER' AULD (0G 10A)
10- MIKE GILBERT, JR (1G 9A)
5-  TONY D'ANNA (2G 3A)
4-  KYLE KAPPMEIER (3G 1A)
3-  DAVE SMITH  (0G 3A)
1-  JOSH BURKE (0G 1A)
1-  BRIAN KOSTROWSKI (1G 0A)

GOALS:

17-  BILL AULD

16-  'JEAN' ERIC HOYER'
 9-   ERIC SILVERMAN
 8-   MARK BOCHNER
 7-   ROB PELLEGRINO
 4-   DAVE BOCHNER
 3-   KYLE KAPPMEIER
 3-   JOHN ZIMNOCH
 2-   TONY D'ANNA
 1-   MIKE GILBERT, JR
 1-   BRIAN KOSTROWSKI

ASSISTS: 

13-  BILL AULD
12-  'JEAN' ERIC HOYER
12-  ERIC SILVERMAN
12-  JOHN ZIMNOCH
10-  ROBER' AULD
 9-   MIKE GILBERT, JR
 9-   ROB PELLEGRINO
 7-   DAVE BOCHNER
 4-   MARK BOCHNER
 3-   TONY D'ANNA
 3-   DAVE SMITH
 1-   JOSH BURKE
 1-   KYLE KAPPMEIER


PENALTY MINUTES:

6-  ERIC SILVERMAN
6-  BILL AULD

4-  KYLE KAPPMEIER
4-  ROB PELLEGRINO
2-  DAVE SMITH
2-  JOHN ZIMNOCH

Bombers Get 2 Seed For Spring 15 Playoffs

The Bombers started slow in the spring after making it within one game of a championship the season prior.  Perhaps it was a finals hangover, the short offseason or the questions about whether the friendly confines of the Flemington rink would even exist, but the team allowed 15 goals in the first two games of the season. Losing 9-5 against the rival Aces and 6-2 versus the Mulligans was not the way it was scripted.  "It was a surprising start.  We left it all out there in the finals and didn't quite pick it up.  I certainly didn't play like I did last season in those first two games." said netminder Josh Burke.

But the Bombers know a few things about digging out of a rut and with strong goaltending by Burke, solid defense and a resurgent offense the Bombers went 9-1 the rest of the way.  The only other loss was a 5-4 nailbiter with the eventual first place Aces.  Jean Eric Hoyer and Bill Auld finished second and third in Federal league scoring with 25 and 24 points respectively.  Burke got his GAA down from 7.50 in games 1-2 to 4.00 by season's end including a shutout of the Shamrocks on June 17th.

Eric Silverman's offense was welcomed back with open arms after his hiatus in Vegas.  Rober' showed he could still be a point per game guy with 7 points in 6 games. The Bochner boys Dave and Mark impressed as a tandem, each garnering 10 points and placing pressure against the opposing defenses with their speed and agility.  Tony D'anna was limited to 4 games but scored a big goal in a surprisingly tight 7-5 win against the Regulars.

"The defense was our true strength this season" said captain Bill Auld.  This fact was certainly truth as Rob Pellegrino, Dave Smith, Johnny Z, Junior and Kyle Kappmeier held the fort for the club allowing the offense to pounce while joining in the attack when needed.  Zimnoch (14pts) and Pellegrino (10pts) led the crew in scoring but it was the protection of the net that allowed the club to make the run all the way to second place.  "Dave Smith provides the calm we need back there" said Kyle Kappmeier of the veteran.  Mike Gilbert Jr and Kappmeier also had the added responsibility of shifting to the front line when numbers and situations dictated.  "Not everyone can do that." noted Josh Burke adding "They never skipped a beat."  

The goal for the storied franchise is of course getting back to the finals and earning a different outcome.  But first they must awaits the winner of Powertime v Shamrocks to see who will be their first round matchup on Wednesday.

W 15 Season Ending Stats-Hoyer Earns 4th Consecutive Scoring Title

During the Bomber's run to the Winter 2015 Federal League Finals, 'Jean' Eric Hoyer scored 17 goals and added 12 assists.  Those 29 points were good enough for first on the Bombers, continuing a streak that has reached four consecutive seasons.  Since joining the club in February of 2010, Hoyer has led the Bombers in scoring in 9 of his 16 seasons.  In 14 of those seasons he has finished either first or second in team scoring.  Never a liability on the ice, JEH has zero penalty minutes in 11 of 16 seasons never taking more than one minor penalty in a season.  That adds up to 10 PIMs in 242 games.  Combine that with missing only 6 of 248 games since his signing and one can see that #27 is always available to be on the ice, which is something a franchise looks for in its star players.

The goal lead was also Hoyer's who scored 17, eight more than the nine Bill Auld netted.  Rob Pellegrino and Drew Campbell tied for third on the team with six.

The Assist leader was not Hoyer's but instead that distinction went to the rookie, Rob Pellegrino, who had 14.  Five of those came in the semifinal playoff matchup with the Mulligans that propelled the Bombers to the league Finals.

Josh Burke was a standout in net with an impressive 3.00 GAA.  That mark was tied for third best in franchise history.  Burke also has the top two season GAA marks with 2.78 (SM 05 Twin Oaks) and 2.88 (SM 09 BSA).  A 2-0 shutout versus Powertime on March 11th was his eighth for the franchise.

Kyle Kappmeier, Bill Auld, and Drew Campbell tied for the high mark in penalty minutes with eight apiece.  The number was an historically low one representative of the very few penalties taken by the team in the Winter 15 season.  The Bombers averaged less than one minor per game, amassing a minuscule 1.53 minutes per contest.  

BOMBERS WINTER 2015



SCORING LEADERS:

POINTS: 

29- JEAN ERIC HOYER' (17G, 12A)
20- ROB PELLIGRINO (6G 14A)
19- BILL AULD (9G 10A)
18- DREW CAMPBELL (6G 12A)
12- MIKE GILBERT JR (4G 8A)
11- KYLE KAPPMEIER (4G 7A)
10- DAVE BOCHNER (4G 6A)
 9-  JOHN ZIMNOCH (4G 5A)
 7-  TONY D'ANNA (4G 3A)
 4-  GREG RUSSOTTI (2G 2A)
 4-  DAVE SMITH (1G 3A)
 3-  SCOTT LUNDEEN (1G 3A)
 1-  JOSH BURKE (0G 1A)
 1-  ALFREDO D'ADDIO (1G 0A)
 1-  TIM TRACY (0G 1A)

GOALS:

17- JEAN ERIC HOYER'
 9-  BILL AULD
 6-  ROB PELLEGRINO
 6-  DREW CAMPBELL

ASSISTS:

14- ROB PELLEGRINO
12- JEAN ERIC HOYER'
12- DREW CAMPBELL

PENALTY MINUTES:

8-   KYLE KAPPMEIER, DREW CAMPBELL, BILL AULD


GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE (MIN 2 GAMES):

3.00- JOSH BURKE
5.50- JOHN FALLONE

Third Period Heroics Put Bombers One Game Away from the Championship

With just four seconds left in the game, Bombers wingman, #27, Jean Eric Hoyer, was able to slide the puck through the five-hole of the Shamrocks’ goaltender, lifting the organization to a thrilling win last night in Flemington. The victory puts the Bombers one win away from raising the Cup at the Aspen Ice Arena and ties the organization’s record for consecutive wins at eight.

Neck and neck the entire game, the Shamrocks took 2-1 first period lead.  The Bombers would counter in the second to tie it only to fall behind again off a breakaway goal to give the Shamrocks another 1 goal lead.  Down 3-2 entering period three the excitement level would go to eleven in the final stanza. 

The Bombers’ comeback would begin with one of the best penalty kills the organization has put forth the entire season and in recent history.  When Bomber captain Bill Auld, who channeled his inner “Tim” with 4 PIMS on the evening,  took a minor penalty on an accidental high stick,  his team would rally to shut down the Shamrocks’ forwards keeping scoring chances to a minimum. The kill would be highlighted by Bomber rookie defenseman, Rob Pellegrino, who put the pressure on and netted a short-handed goal that would again tie the game, making it 3-3 halfway through the final period.

“I just kept the wheels going,” said Pellegrino. “You can’t make it this far into the playoffs and not give it 110%. I saw a play developing when the puck found Campbell’s tape – I took off and he put the puck exactly where I needed it. I kept it low and hard which I think threw Paster off. It was a great feeling and a much needed goal.”

The Bomber penalty would expire and the teams would again launch into a two-way battle to try and grab the critical game one victory. There were scoring chances both ways, with posts rung on both ends, but as the period continued to whittle away, both benches were beginning to prepare mentally for an OT contest, that was until about ten seconds left in the game when a play developed in the Bombers’ end.

“Everyone wants to be in the position to win the game, but you can’t let that cloud your judgement,” said Hoyer, #27. “You need to think clearly – not matter how intense the game may be - you need to think about making the right play. That’s something each man on the ice did those last few seconds. We opened up their defense just enough to allow me to take a pass and drive to the net. In what seemed like slow motion, I saw Paster’s pads open up just enough – it was in that split second I knew where the puck needed to go. It wasn’t until I looked up at the scoreboard that I realized just how close we were to OT.”

Game 2 and 3 of the 2015 AIAHL Federal League Winter Playoffs are Saturday and Sunday night.

State Electric Power Performers of the Game:

#1 - Eric Hoyer, 2G (GWG)

#2 - Rob Pellegrino,  1G (SH) / 1A

#29 - Josh Burke

Bombers Steamroll Mulligans To Earn a Spot in the Finals

In unprecedented form, the Bombers extended their win streak to seven games and earned a trip to the AIAHL Federal League 2015 Winter Finals, following last night's 7-3 romping of the Mulligans at the Aspen Ice Arena in Flemington, NJ.

The Mulligans would get on the board early in the first with a shot from the point that found its way past Bomber goaltender, Josh Burke. The Bombers would eventually tie the game thanks to a goal by #69, Drew Campbell and would end the 1st period ahead 2-1 with the ever-stretching and limber, Grego Russotti, #12, burying the biscuit.

The Bombers looked to pull away in the 2nd when they went up 3-1 following a tremendous goal by the organization's leading points scorer, #27, Jean Eric Hoyer; however, the Mulligans battled back quickly, scoring two goals back-to-back in 17 seconds to leave the match tied at the end of two.

"Giving up goals like that, and so quickly, is deflating," said long-time Bomber defenseman, #22, Dave "Sarge" Smith. "It wasn't for lack of effort, they were just well placed shots where Josh was screened. But we knew what needed to be done and we proved why we deserve to be competing for the Cup. We pressed ahead."

At the 11:55 mark of the third period, it was Drew "Teech-um" Campbell that stepped up and buried a beautiful breakaway goal and the game winner, leaving the Mulligans bench silent and stunned. The flood gates would open from there with three additional goals making it a four-goal third for the Bombers.

"We battled hard, and played smart hockey," said #77, Kyle Kappmeier who joined the defense for the match. "When you play smart hockey, you slow down the game, and when you do that, you start to see passing lanes open up and where your teammates are going to be. Our forwards were a big part of that, giving us targets to pass to, and battling down low in the offensive zone for every puck. It was also one hell of a performance by our team Rookie, Rob Pellegrino, who put up five apples tonight -- I think that redefines what it means to be a team player. Overall, it was a great effort and we're excited to make it to the finals."

The Bombers now face The Shamrocks in a best of three series for the Cup. Game one is tonight, March 26th at 10:15 PM. Tickets are available at the box office. Game 2 will be Saturday, March 28th and Game 3 (if needed) will be Sunday, March 29th.

State Electric Power Performers of the Game:

#1 - Drew Campbell: 2G (GWG)  / 2A 

#2 - Jean Eric Hoyer: 2G / 1A

#3 - Rob "The Rookie" Pellegrino: 5A