Happy New Years Bomber Fans

Victory!!!

It took a few games (12 but who's counting) for the Bombers to get their first win of the season. But an inspired 4-2 triumph over the Bears on Sunday saved the Bombers from a what could have been a winlees campaign.

Perhaps a portend of things to come for the Bombers, the storied franchise chose to employ the same counter punch system they used vs the Chiefs which saw them narrowly defeated in the game prior. This time with a little more manpower and a game's worth of practice under their belt the Bombers controlled the Bears the entire game, trailing only once in the contest.

"Last night was the best I have seen the Bombers play as a team, maybe ever. Everyone contributed to the win." said Bomber center Dave Bochner. That teamwork allowed the Bombers to bottle up the high flying Bears who were 15pts ahead of them in the standings. When the final buzzer sounded the only form of retaliation left to the Bears was to start a post game scuffle. At least it kept their reputation as sportsman in tact. Mike Gilbert, Sr. noted "I think we really pissed those guys off!"

Mike Rosenberg led on the scoresheet with 1 goal and 3 assists but was quick to pass the praise onto his teamates. "Everyone contributed and Mark's goal to put us ahead 3-2 was a real gem." said Rosenberg referring to Mark Bochner's five hole shot that put the Bombers in the lead for good late in the third.

"This is a tough league were in here at Twin Oaks. But what's great is the boys in the room always enjoy playing for the Bomber organization, win or lose." commented Bomber Bill Auld. "And hey, what the heck, after a season like this I'm glad we got the W!"

So what's up next for the Bombers? Stay tuned.

And lookee here-for the first time in a while the
State Electric Power Performers of the Game

First Star:


Dave Bochner- 2 assists and like a lot of blocked shots

Second Star:



Mark Bochner- 2g 1a and the game winner

Third Star-:



Mike Rosenberg- 1g 3a and because its his company sponsering the stars of the game

Fourth Star:



A statistical tie between;
Josh Burke, Tony D'anna, Bill Auld, Adam Lapinski and Mike Sr.




Bomber Box Score:

Goals:

M.Bochner (4,5)
B. Auld (6)
Rosenberg (4)

Assists:
Rosenberg-3
D.Bochner-2
B.Auld-1
M.Bocner-1

Fab Five Fight Fearlessly

And then there were five.

Five skaters that is-defensemen Brian and Sr, forwards Mike R, Bobby and Bill fronting for the courageous Burke in goal. That's all the Bombers had vs the Chiefs on Sunday. Well, they had that and a plan. Despite eventually losing by a 7-6 score, the plan may have given the Bombers an idea of how to approach their remaining schedule.

With no substitutes to look to on the bench, neccessity dictated the Bombers institute a conseravite trapping system. The strategy discussed in pregame was to employ a counter punching 'one man forecheck-four men in the neutral zone' conservative approach designed to save energy. It turned out to also provide the Bombers with time, space and opportunity they have yet to see in the 2009 Winter season.

The strategy almost paid dividends immediately. A mere 20 seconds into the game Bobby C. stole a cross ice pass and went in against a surprised and out of position Chief goatender. The shot missed the mark but gave immediate credibility to Bombers chosen plan of attack. The Bombers corralled the Chiefs the entire first period and outshot their surprised opponents. A screened shot from the high slot was the only Bomber misuce in the first and after taking their first rest during intermission the Fab Five were confident they could erase the 1-0 deficet.

The second period was more of the same. Counter punching the Chief attack again and again had the Bombers tied with the Chiefs midway through the second on goals by Kostrowski and Calvano. Perhaps feeling some of the effects associated with what at that time was a 35 minute shift, the Bombers did make 2 misplays in the end of the second, leaving them behind 4-2 going into the third.

And during the third period, the Bomber quintet of skaters found more energy than should be expected -scoring 4 in the final stanza. But in an effort to close the gap the Bombers took more chances that resulted in goalmouth battles that left the pesky netminder unprotected on the weak side.

In the end the Bombers lost again but the lesson learned was something they will take into the remainder of the season. "We had those guys confused." said D stalwart Mike Gilbert Sr who was remarkably as fresh the last minute of the game as was the first. Bobby Calvano added "If we can play that system that well with 5 guys, imagine how we will do with a full bench."

"The time and space we had tonight allowed us to make tape to tape passes. It was fun way to play!" said Bomber RW Mike Rosenberg who scored a hatrick on the evening.

"I believe we let up less shots than normal. It was just that the scoring chances allowed were easy ones for them because we were fatigued at points. With a full crew and that effort, they wouldn't have been able to score much" said Burke.

So the Fab Five hope to pass on the excitement of the night to the returning skaters for their next contest with Bears on Sunday December 20th.

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:
Rosenberg (1,2,3)
B.Auld (5)
Kostrowski (5)
Calvano (4)

Assits:
B. Auld-3
Rosenberg-2

Tickets, Get Your Tickets Here

Bombers Finish Week Undefeated

The Bomber Hockey Club has not lost in over a week. Their last defeat at the hands of aeronautical rival, the Spitfires, was all the way back on November 22.

When asked how the Bombers were able to change the tide of a disappointing season, Bomber Bill Auld said, "We focused last week on the games that we had on the schedule."

"I know we shouldn't look ahead but I hope we can stay undefeated for at least this week and maybe the next" said goaltender Josh Burke. Burke has posted an impressive 0.00 goals against average during the streak.

Next up for the Bombers-a December 13th meeting with the Chiefs.

Happy Thanksgiving

The Bomber Hockey Club would like to wish all its fans a healthy and happy Thanksgiving!!

Junior Has Not Been Traded to Brazil

An interview with Bomber forward Tony D'anna sparked an internet frenzy last week. Speculation was that Bomber defenseman, Junior Gilbert, who has not played for quite some time, was traded to Brazil for their native hero Gisele Bundchen and 2 lbs of sugar cane.

Bomber management quickly denied the rumor, saying it is happy with Junior's performance on the ice in recent months. The fact that Gilbert has not played in recent months caused some to question the sincerety of management's comments.

Bomber forward Tony D'anna tried to quiet the rumors Sunday by stating he was misquoted in the original interview. D'anna referring to his conversation with Junior early last week stated "He(Gilbert) told me he was meeting with his stylist, Sugar, who said she certainly could give him a Brazillian wax similar to Gisele Bundchen's."

D'anna then sternly added "You guys always get this stuff wrong. I mean it makes perfect sense. If you know Jr." When informed his assumption was untrue that Bundchen had a similar hip injury to Junior's and that the Brazillian procedure was not in fact a medical one, D'anna said "He did what?"

Fortunately there is some good news on the Junior front. When reached by phone on Tuesday, Junior spoke of his injury status. "I should be back skating sometime in April. That sounds like a long way off but it is actually ahead of schedule. I am in much less pain than before the surgery. I should have a full comeback. The doctors are pleased-very pleased."

So are we Jr. So are we.

Getting Closer

The Bombers lost a game for the first time this season by less than three goals. Hey its a start. After putting up a good fight, the Bombers fell to the first place Metro Fire by a 5-3 score. The Bombers scored first for the second straight game and headed into the 2nd period tied at one.

In the second the Metro Fire scored two to the Bombers one leaving the game and the end of the losing streak still within reach for the storied franchise. But 10 seconds into the final stanza the Metro Fire scored off a Bomber miscue. "That goal was the real killer for us." said Spring 2009 MVB Tony D'anna.

Each team scored again in the 3rd to make the score 5-3 at the end of regulation. The Bombers have yet to score a victory in this season-a feat that has only happened one other time when the Bombers moved up a division in the fall of 2005.

Next up for the Bombers-a rematch with the Spitfires-Sunday Nov 22 9pm. Let's see what a difference a goalie makes!


Bomber Box Score:

Goals:
B. Auld (3,4)
M.Bochner (3)

Assists:
D'anna
B.Auld
M.Bochner

Well That Was Different

The Bomber Hockey Club lost its 8 straight game, falling to the Spitfires by a score of 10-3. Although the result was similar, the journey to that result was different than the others. The Bombers actually played pretty well in all aspects of the game except one.

Goaltending proved to be the problem as the captain was forced to don the gear that was available to him at the time and place himself in between the pipes. This all because of a late scratch of the goalie who was to substitute for the goalie that was to substitute for Josh.

Intitially the Bombers played inspired hockey in an effort to combat the disadvantage in net, scoring first off a tip in goal by Gary Simpson assited by Kostrowski and Rober'. Being behind 2-1 with 1 minute left in the first period didn't seem all that bad for the Bombers until luck ran out on the newbie netminder. 2 goals in the last minute of the 1st and one more 40 seconds into the second removed any air the ragtag goalie had in his confidence sails. 5-1 quickly turned to 10-2 by the end of the second.

And even though the Spitfire keeper graciously offered to help remedy the fact that his Bomber counterpart had his pads on backwards, #0 decided perhaps he was better served as a sixth skater. And so it was off to the locker room to retire the goalie gear and put on the conventional skates and pads.

Would the Bombers create some unbelievable franchise history by coming back from 8 goals down in the third period without a goaltender and in running time- much to the amazement of the sports world? Um, no not really. The temporary netminder was able to ease the pain of the previous two swiss cheese like periods when he scored of a nifty 2 on 1 pass from "Big G-from the Left Side."

All in all the night was interesting and entertaining for the blue, red, white and gold. The Spitfires showed a great deal of sportsmanship and the game saw none of the controversy of their previous game.

Next game Sunday November 15 7:30 v Metro.

Cowardly Bears Show No Class

The Bomber Hockey Club endured another tough night losing 8-0 to a Bears club that wasn't content to just win big. Winning ugly was the task of the day and the grisly gang of glorified goons used the last 5 minutes to show everyone how its done.

With the game already in running time due to the 8 goal differential the Bears put their plan in action by agressively cleaning out the front of the net (because a goal against could really cost them at this point) while sending goal hangers to the opposite blue line (got to pad that stat sheet). And finally in an effort to bring the game to a screeching halt the Bears #3 Richard Head brutally boarded an unexpecting Bobby C to the halfboards. That forced the hand of Brian K. who, being the good teamate he is, swooped in to defend Bobby and even up the numbers. Sportsmanship not being in the Bears DNA they quickly called into action their comrades who were already in the penalty box to join the fray and make sure their gang still had the upper hand. Fortunately in the middle of all this Bobby was able to get up to get a few jabs in his defense. But the damage had been done. The game and any sense of decorum was lost.

In what should be an unexpected twist but really isn't much of a surprise the ref asked both captains(i kid you not) if it was alright with them if he didn't record the penalties at the end because no one was "severely" injured. Umm, no that's not alright Mr. Official. It might be nice to have a record of the carnage sir. Thanks anyway. So the 67 minutes of penalties including a 3rd man in match penalty for the diminutive napoleonic "mighty mouse" #2 of the Bears.

A sad commentary is indeed what we have here. The Bears, who could have gone home with an 8-0 victory and the respect of their opponents for their skillful play, instead decided to go for the lowest common denominator, leaving their class and dignity at the door.

Good luck with that Bears.

Bomber Press Conference Yields Big Announcement

To boost morale after a six game losing streak, one may not think the cure would be for Bomber management to schedule a tougher opponent. Unless of course that opponent is the NJ Devils Alumni team. That's right Bomber fans, for the 5th consecutive year, the "Storied Franchise" will face off against the NJ Devil Alumni to benefit Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity (RVHFH).



Bomber President Mike Rosenberg, who was solely responsible for brokering the deal proudly announced at a press conference this morning that "The 2010 version of the ever popular "Bombers Charity Hockey Classic" will be held on Saturday March 20th at 1:00pm in the Bridgewater Sports Arena." Unnamed sources said that even NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman, has taken notice and is "very pleased with the success and tradition that the Bombers Charity Hockey Classic has been able to garner. League offices feel that the game is as important to hockey as the NHL's Winter Classic."

And Corporate & Community Relations Manager of the RVHFH, Lisa Fielding, spoke to the success of the last year's event when she stated "The fans were so excited! The event was a great success and not only brought us over $13,000 net but it afforded us great exposure within the community. We thank you (the Bombers) for your support and participation in our work." The Bomber GM added "Everyone had such a great time at the last game, with all the big stars and the Stanley Cup, but I can't wait to reveal what we have in store this year!"

So what new tricks can we hope for during the 2010 installment of this annual tradition? Well, for now fans have to wait and see as representatives for the Bombers, RVHFH and the Devil Alumni are choosing to keep us in suspense.

Regarding revealing any game day details, the one thing we could get from Bomber management was, "It will be worth the wait."

So the entire hockey world is now marking its calendar!

The Bomber Charity Hockey Classic-Saturday March 20th, 2010- 1pm at the Bridgewater Sports Arena.

Zimnoch out 6 More Weeks

Bomber Defenseman Superstar Johhny Zimnoch went through successful surgery October 20. The Bomber stalwart stated "I hope to be back in 4 weeks but it may be 6. Everything went well but I am sore from the incision." Afterwards John then said that "it was to be 8 weeks but it may be 6 and 4 weeks may turn out to be 6 weeks and then I would have a week after which would get me back in 6 weeks. Or maybe 4. So I just wanted to clear that up."

Good luck Johnny, get back whenever you can. The organization misses the presence on the ice and in the room.

Bombers Lose 6-2 . . . again

The Bombers lost for the 4th time in a row by the same 6-2 score. On October 4th the Bombers lost to the Chiefs 6-2 and on October 11th they lost to Metro Fire by the identical score.

"Consintency is key in this game. And we got that covered" said Bomber Alt Capt Bob Calvano.

Next up for the Bombers is a November 8th showdow with the Bears.


Bomber Box Scores:

Oct 11th v Metro Fire

Goals:
B. Auld (1)
M. Bochner (2)

Assists:
D'anna -2

Oct 4th v Chiefs

Goals:
Calvano (3)
Kostrowski (3)

Assists:
Lapinski -2
Calvano

Bombers Consistent-Score 2 in Loss

The Bombers are nothing if not consistent. For the 4th straight game the red, yellow gold and blue scored 2 goals. And unfortunately for the 4th straight game that was not nearly enough, falling to the Metro Fire 6-2.

The Bombers are having trouble getting wins in the new Twin Oaks "C" league- (note the quotations). Fortunately,as is always the case, the locker room remains strong and ubeat. "Who's next?" asked Bomber Adam Lapinski. Well that would be the Chiefs-Sunday October 18th @ 8:45pm.

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:
M.Bochner (1)
D'anna (1)

Assists:
B. Auld
Rosenberg

Small Numbers Hurt Bombers

The Bombers were only able to manage 7 and 8 players in their recent games vs the Spitfires and Bears. That made for two games that the Bombers were competitive but only for 2 periods.

"We had a lot of guys out" said Bomber defenseman Mike Gilbert Sr. "Its tough to play a full 3 periods when you are missing that many guys." he added.

The Bombers were tied with the Spitfires in the first of the two games, 1-1 going into the third. But fatigue set in and the Bombers, with only 7 players, allowed 4 goals in the third losing 5-2.

The next game against the Bears was more of the same with the Bombers again allowing 4 in the third. 2 goals in the final minute by Bobby Calvano helped the Bombers gain a little momentum for their next game against the Metro Fire.

"We should have a better compliment of our players for that game" noted Bomber GM Bill Auld. "Because of the history of our orginization, our players are in great demand. Sometimes this catches up with us. We will be able to rectify the problem and give the fans the on-ice product they deserve."

Time will tell-Next game October 11 vs the Metro Fire.


Bomber Box Scores:

Oct 4 v Bears:
Goals:
Calvano (1,2)

Assists:
Rosenberg-2
M. Bochner





Sept 24 v Spitfires

Goals:
Kostrowski (2)
Moss (2)

Assists:
Kostrowski

Chiefs Down Bombers in Twin Oaks Return

The Bombers had many returns last night. The return of alternate captain Bobby Calvano. The return of the "Kid Line" sparkplug Richie Moss. The return of the Bombers to the Twin Oaks ice rink. Unfortunately the Bombers could not return to the locker room with a victory.

The Bombers were outplayed slightly but held tough for two periods behind stong goaltending by Josh Burke and a goal and assist from Rich Moss. But a 4-2 defecit quickly turned to into a 7-2 defecit in the third period as the Bombers struggled to find more offense. "The pace was quicker today than we were ready for" said Bomber Dave Bochner.

So the Bombers will try to adjust and give it another go on Thursday vs the Spitfires.


Bomber Box Score:

Goals:
Kostrowski (1)
Moss (1)

Assists:
Moss
Lapinski
M.Bochner
Rosenberg

Bombers to Face Chiefs in Twin Oaks Return

Bombers vs Chiefs
Sunday 9/20/09 9:00pm

Bombers To Return to Twin Oaks-as Champions

The Bomber Hockey Club will play its Fall 2009 season at Twin Oaks, a rink that it had played more than 200 career games.

Both Twin Oaks and Bridgewater Sports Arena, the league where the Bombers just completed a championship season, were in intense negotiations for adult hockey's most storied franchise. But in the late hours of September 6th it was apparent that BSA's offer would not be accepted by the Bomber GM.

So for the first time in many years it looked as if the Bombers would take a season off to mull other more inviting offers. "That's when the phone rang and it was Twin Oaks. They said they were creating an opportunity for us." said the GM. What they offered was what they called a true C-league with past poachers Team Scandic, the Mountaineers and the Rock franchises all moving on to different leagues. The very existence of the league hinged on the marketability of the Bombers.No other teams signed up until they were sure the Bombers were on board.

So only time will tell if the league will be as advertised-an evenly matched group of C-league franchises, vieing for the Twin Oaks championship with the sportsmanship it deserves. (then again it could be a freak show. Only time will tell.)

The Bombers upper management hinted at a return to BSA in the summer to defend its Summer C-League Championship. Stay tuned.

SEASON ENDING STATS

STATISTICAL LEADERS FOR THE 2009 BSA SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON


REGULAR SEASON AND PLAYOFFS


POINTS:

25-BILL AULD

21-MIKE ROSENBERG
18-TONY D'ANNA
15-ROBERT AULD
11-BRIAN KOSTROWSKI
10-ADAM LAPINSKI
8- GARY SIMPSON
7- NEIL VAN DER HORN
7- JEFF BOWSER
5- MARK BOCHNER
4- DAVE BOCHNER
3- MIKE GILBERT, SR
1- JOSH BURKE

GOALS:

13-MIKE ROSENBERG

12-BILL AULD
9- TONY D'ANNA
5- ROBERT AULD
4- BRIAN KOSTROWSKI
4- GARY SIMPSON
3- ADAM LAPINSKI
2- DAVE BOCHNER
2- MARK BOCHNER
2- MIKE GILBERT, SR
2- NEIL VAN DER HORN
1- JEFF BOWSER

ASSISTS:


13- BILL AULD

10- ROBERT AULD
9- TONY D'ANNA
8- MIKE ROSENBERG
7- BRIAN KOSTROWSKI
7- ADAM LAPINSKI
6- JEFF BOWSER
5- NEIL VAN DER HORN
4- GARY SIMPSON
3- MARK BOCHNER
2- DAVE BOCHNER
1- MIKE GILBERT, SR
1- JOSH BURKE

GOALTENDING

GAA

2.88- JOSH BURKE

3.00- DON HENSHAW
3.00- MARC MEZZACCA

PLAYOFFS STATISTICAL LEADERS:

POINTS:

8- TONY D'ANNA

7- BILL AULD
5- ADAM LAPINSKI
4- MIKE ROSENBERG
4- GARY SIMPSON
3- MARK BOCHNER
3- BRIAN KOSTROWSKI
3- NEIL VAN DER HORN
2- ROBERT AULD
1- JOSH BURKE

GOALS:
6- TONY D'ANNA

3- BILL AULD
3- MIKE ROSENBERG
2- ADAM LAPINSKI
1- GARY SIMPSON
1- BRIAN KOSTROWSKI
1- MARK BOCHNER


ASSISTS:

4- BILL AULD

3- ADAM LAPINSKI
3- NEIL VAN DER HORN
3- GARY SIMPSON
2- ROBERT AULD
2- TONY D'ANNA
2- BRIAN KOSTROWSKI
2- MARK BOCHNER
1- MIKE ROSENBERG
1- JOSH BURKE

Bombers are Champions Once Again!!!

The Bomber Hockey Club won its sixth franchise league championship on Thursday by beating a formidable opponent, The Ooff, 3-2. Late in the third period, the Bombers recovered from what could have been a devastating blow to their Championship effort. The Ooff, who had not led the entire game but who were always within striking distance, tied the Bombers with 2:53 left in the third period of the the Championship Finale.

Unfazed, the Bombers bounced right back 53 seconds later when Tony D'anna scored on a skillfull pass by the Rookie, Adam Lapinski. 2 minutes was all that remained between the Bombers and the Championship. When the final seconds ticked off the Bomber hockey faithful in attendance and around the world rewarded their team with the cheers deserving of hockey's most storied franchise.

Enjoy the pictures and please stayed tuned for a complete game and season review.






















Bomber Box Score:

Goals:

M.Bochner (2)
Rosenberg (13)
D'anna (9)

Assists:

Rosenberg
R. Auld
M. Bochner
B. Auld
Lapinski

Bombers Reach Finals

The Bomber Hockey Club reached its first league finals in since 2005 with a convincing 6-3 victory over the Sewer Rats. After beating the 2nd seeded Red Dogs in round 1 of the playoffs the Rats were hoping Cinderella's slipper would still fit in round 2. The Bombers although not quite the wicked stepmother did not allow the pesky Sewer Rats entrance to the grand ballroom.

With a short bench-8 skaters in all, the Bombers methodically took care of business scoring 1 in the first, 1 in the second prior to a 4 goal third period. Tony D'anna had two goals on the evening and although scored in 2 different periods were actually scored 34 seconds apart. One with 25 seconds left in the first and the next 9 seconds into the third. When Bill Auld scored on a penalty shot in the 3rd to make the score 4-0 the Bomber bench seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. The questionable penalty shot call was one that was not met with much respect from the Sewer Rat squad that was trying to hold on to some chance at a comeback.

So with 9:40 remaining and a 4-0 lead the Bombers had a little breathing room. And they needed it as the Rats fought back to within 2 goals at 5-3. When Josh Burke and Dave Smith took minor penalties with 38 seconds remaining the Sewer Rats tried to put the pressure on. Fortunately for the Bombers, Adam Lapinski scored into a vacated Sewer Rat net to seal the deal with 7 seconds left.

"This one was for Mike and Lori" said Bomber Cpt Bill Auld. The couple was forced to spend their 25th anniversary away from the one thing they love the most-Bomber Hockey.

"We played solid tonight, none more than our Iron Man Rober' Auld" a jubiliant Mike Gilbert Sr professed after the game.

The Bombers were perhaps inspired to extend the playoffs for their comrades who were unavailable to play the 2nd round contest. The were additionally motivated by the support of key players Calvano and Gilbert, Jr who, although on the IR were a supportive coaching duo.

So the Bombers will advance to the Championship game on Thursday 8:00 to face the

winner of the OOFF! and Predator semifinal game.

Some tickets still available.

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:
B. Auld (11,12)
D'anna (7,8)
Kostrowski (4)
Lapinski (3)

Assists:
D'anna-2
Lapinski-2
B.Auld -1
M.Bochner-1
Kostrowski-1

D'anna's Hat Trick Seals Playoff Win

Tony D'anna netted a "natural" hat trick in the third period of an 8-2 first round playoff victory over the 6th seeded Moose. His three consecutive goals finished off the Moose squad that fought valiantly but could not keep up with a Bomber offense that seemed intent on taking care of business.

"Their goaltender was much better than the one we faced in our first contest." noted the Bomber's Neil Van der horn who ended up with 3 assists on the evening. One would might question how this could be since the netminder let in 8 goals on the night, but when you counter that with the fact he faced 63 Bomber shots it puts it back into perspective.

The Bombers were buzzing around the Moose net from the first drop of the puck, but were unable to chip one past in the first period. Bill Auld opened the scoring early in the second, less than a minute in. Exactly one minute later, Gary Simpson, bravely nursing an ankle injury, buried his breakaway chance. The Moose managed to capitalize on a rare Bomber miscue by Mike Rosenberg to cut the lead in half but #3 attoned for the error and scored his own 28 seconds later.

From that point on the Bombers never looked back scoring 4 straight goals-including a Bobby Orr'esque end to end attack by Adam Lapinski and the natural trick by D'anna.


The Moose were able to achieve a highlight of their own when their 4th line winger scored his first goal of his career-a fancy backhand shot that was met with much fanfare. Good work #23.

So the Bombers must await the winner of the Red Dogs and Sewer Rat contest. The winner will meet the Bombers on Wednesday at 10:15.

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:

D'anna (4,5,6)
Rosenberg (11,12)
B. Auld (10)
Simpson (4)
Lapinski (2)

Assists:

Simpson -3
Van der horn -3
B. Auld -2
Kostrowski
R. Auld
Burke

Game Notes:

The playoff victory against the Moose was the first at Bridgewater Sports Arena since March of 1995. The Bombers bested the Renegades in overtime 2-1.

The ice on the Red Rink at BSA was nearly unplayable. Players from both teams commented that the rink was better before they tried to fix it. "This is more like pond hockey" noted Adam Lapinski.

Playoffs Set. Bombers to face Moose in Round 1

#6 SEED MOOSE

VERSUS





#3 SEED BOMBERS

The Bombers will start their quest for Championship glory by facing the Moose in Round One of the C-league Summer Playoffs at BSA. The game is on Monday August 24th at 8pm.

Ooff! Bombers Fall Again 4-3

The Bombers are not peaking liked they had hoped before heading into the Summer Playoffs. The Bombers have needed a shootout to win their only game in the last three and have fallen 4-3 in their last two contests. The latest a loss to the Ooff! who are trying to lock up the number 1 seed.

"We just have not gotten off to a good start the last 2 games. The Red Dog game (a 3-2 shootout win) was a good game and we were happy to earn the win, but the last two games we were the better team. We just didn't play like it." said Bomber Cpt, Bill Auld.

The team must take any positives they can from the season and rally back if they hope to win their 6th championship. "I feel it, I think we are due." said Bomber defensemen Dave Smith.

Only time will tell. Playoff schedules are not yet out but keep visiting the Bomber Hockey Club blog for times and dates.

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:
Dave Bochner (2)
Tony D'anna (3)
Mike Rosenberg (10)

Assists:
B. Auld-2
R. Auld
D. Bochner
D'anna

Bombers Fall -Win Streak Stops at Six

The Bombers felt defeat for the first time of the season when the Predators beat them 4-3 on Tuesday. For what was possibly the first time this season the Bombers were out hustled for an extended period of time and the Predators managed 3 goals in the first two periods compared to a goose egg for the Bombers.

The Bombers used the 2nd intermission to work up a game plan to save their winning streak but it was not enough. The Bombers scored early in the 3rd with a goal by Brian Kostrowski 43 seconds in. The Preds again built their lead to 3 with 10minutes left. So with 3 minutes left and a undefeated streak on the line, the Bombers decided to go for broke and pulled goalie Josh Burke for the extra attacker. A late penalty to Kostrowski did not change the decision and the move nearly worked when the Auld duo of Rober' and Bill scored shorthanded goals in the final minutes.

The Predators looked somewhat woozy from the last minute scoring spree and nearly lost control of the game entirely when the allowed a final barrage by the Bombers. Bill Auld nearly connected on a Tony D'anna waist high goal mouth pass that deflected over the net.

"We needed that type of intensity all game." said Bomber center Neil Van der horn. "We just didn't have the puck control that we've been used to, and you could see they were geared up." added Mike Gilbert, Sr.

So the streak is over but it could be just what the Bombers needed to focus on the final regular season game and the approaching playoff run.

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:

Kostrowski (3)
R. Auld (5)
B. Auld (9)

Assists:
Bowser-2

Bombers Tested-Win in Shootout

The Bombers kept their win streak alive at six games, but it wasn't easy. The storied franchise was pushed to a shootout by a hard charging Red Dogs contingent.

Strong goaltending, good defense and goal posts were the fare for most the game. The Bombers needed to use its emergency callup and phoned "Dandy" Don Henshaw-former Bomber goatender from the Chimney Rock Championship seasons to tend the pipes.

After two scoreless, hard fought periods the Red Dogs finally managed to break the seal and scored six minutes into the final stanza. This marked the first time this season the Bombers found themselves behind in a game. But the determined Bomber squad relied on their vast experience and answered quickly on a goal by Neil Van der horn just 2 minutes and 2 seconds later. "I found a spot high blocker side" said Van der horn about the goal shot from the high slot.



Then with 3:17 left in the game the Red Dogs again found the back of the net. The Red Dogs highly touted defensemen, known only as 22, tookadvantage of a broken Bomber play and went end to end scoring on a pretty deke that somehouw beat the solid playing Henshaw.

So was this going to be the first lost of the season for our heroes? Well the fans did not need to wait long to their Bombers come up off the mat for the second time in the contest. The timeout called prior was longer in duration than the 23 seconds it took for Mike Gilbert, Sr to find the back of the net and tie the game at 2. The seeing eye shot from Gilbert sailed over a sliding Red Dog, deflected off another and just like that Sr had his most important point of the season.

The final few minutes provided much excitement but no goals and the "shootout", a new twist for the Bombers, was next.



Henshaw stopped all three of the Red Dogs initial salvos with ease but Tony D'anna, Adam Lapinski and Mike Rosenberg were also denied. Strong goaltending indeed. Sudden death awaited and after the fifth round Dandy Don had not let the biscuit into the basket. John Zimnoch, fighting though a nagging injury had enough left in the tank to beat the Dog keeper with a deke that found him left with an open net to shoot into for the win.

So the streak is 6 but the games are getting tougher. Next up-the Predators on July 28th.


Bomber Box Score:

Goals:

Van der horn (2)
Gilbert Sr (2)

Assists:

B. Auld

Josh Gets the Shutout!

Josh Burke took what could have been a close game and made it the Bombers 4th win in a row, by shutting down a potent Sewer Rat team. "The game was actually pretty tight but Josh held them off for us." said center Rober' Auld.



The Bombers won 6-0 behind Burke's backstopping and goals from six different skaters. The game was played in front of large crowd that included former Bomber and original Captain, Paul Kostrowski. #9 has since retired from the game but gave his former team an emotional boost that was obviously not lost on his son, Bomber defenseman Brian Kostrowski who scored the games first goal. Brian led the team stat sheet with the goal and 2 assists. Goals by Neil Van der horn, Mike Rosenberg, R. Auld, Dave Bochner and Adam Lapinski followed. The Bombers consistent play saw them win each period by a 2-0 score.

The game was officiated by a new crew who apparently were not taking any gruff. #49 of the Sewer Rats was given a 10 minute misconduct @ 12:20 in the first much to the surprise of both teams. "I don't know what he did." said Josh Burke after the game.


But that would not be an end to the misconduct penalties for the night. Mild mannered Mike Rosenberg, not know for questioning officials intelligence (huh?), found himself on the wrong end of the call by the same official late in the second period. Apparently the official missed a call on the other team and instead called Mike himself for the infraction (it could happen). What happened next was perplexing to the attending media. The official, located behind Rosenberg, ran into him on the way to the penalty box. That contact was enough to give #3 the game misconduct penalty and he was subsequently dismissed from the playing surface.

Bill Auld who was not in the lineup for the game was asked to comment about the incident. "Look, I was nowhere near the rink. Why would you ask me? What am I an expert on these things?" I guess not.

So the Bombers are 5-0 in the BSA C league standings. Next up- the Red Dogs-Monday July 20th @ 9:50-Red Rink.

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:
Kostrowski(2)
Van der horn (1)
Rosenberg (9)
R.Auld (4)
D. Bochner (1)
Lapinski (1)

Assists:
Kostrowski -2
Bowser -2
D.Bochner
Rosenberg
Lapinski

Auld(s) Match Rosenberg's Six Goal Performance

It took two Auld's to equal one Rosenberg, but the pair of Rober' and Bill Auld matched Mike Rosenberg's six goal performance from last week. Rober' scored by finishing a great play from Brian Kostrowski and by acting as a pinball deflector for a Adam Lapinski point shot. Bill Auld's goals were the result of fine passing from the defense and his FUNLINE mates D'anna & Van der horn. "We really worked well together on the offensive end tonight." noted B. Auld.

The defensive side of the ice was another story for the Bombers. Perhaps leaning on the offensive successes, the Bomber team defense allowed 6 goals against. "We need to tighten that up for the future." said Mike Gilbert Sr.

So the Bombers start the season 4-0 with the top teams in the league still on the schedule.


Bomber Box Score:

Goals:
Bill Auld (5,6,7,8)
Rober Auld (2,3)
Rosenberg (8)
D'anna (2)

Assists:
Kostrowski-2
Lapinski-2
D'anna-2
R. Auld-1
Rosenberg-1
Bowser-1
Gilbert,Sr-1