Shamrocks Lose Cool and Game

The Bombers found themselves down by a 3-1 score early in the third period of their game against the Shamrocks.  The contest, billed as a rematch of the 2012 FW Finals, which the Bombers lost in 3 games, was a friendly contest until the Shamrock's Jarrett Quick decided to change all that-setting his team on the short end of a penalty kill and eventually the short end of the contest.  Quick inexplicably played with an aggressive check while going for a puck on the halfboards.  The Bombers Tony D'anna was the recepient of not only the check, but also some verbal barbs prior to being victim to that oh so unsporstmanlike play-the slew foot.  (Insert your own Loop joke here)

D'anna was of course taken by surprise by the play but surprisingly was uninjured on the play.  Quick was ejected from the game and the Bombers were able to capitlize on the 5 minute major power play on a goal by either John Zimnoch or Mike Gilbert, Jr.  I waited so long to write this I can't remember which one but no worries one of them eventually scored the tieing goal-unless it was Bill Auld who also had a goal on the night.  Either way, the game was tied after regulation and a shootout would decide the contest.  Josh Burke was his usual stellar shootout defending self and denied all three Shamrock shooters while the Bomber capt was able to net the only goal they needed in the shootout. 

Next up for the Bombers-a chance to extend their recent winning streak agains the Admirals.

State Electric Power Performers of the Game:














1st Star:  Josh Burke-perfect in shooutout-stellar during the game.















2nd Star:  John Zimnoch-1g 1a














3rd Star: Mike Gilbert, Jr- 1g 1a

Scott Lundeen may have broken into the top three stars but I still don't have any pictures of him so what's the point really.  I'll bring the camera next game Scotty-even though I know you're camera shy.

D'anna Equals Hooray

Tony D'anna made his triumphant return from injury in a hard fought contest with the Predators at the state of the art Bridgewater Sports Arena.  The Bombers lost a thriller by a 6-5 score but the fan base and Bomber players and management only dwelled on the positive-the return of #33 to the lineup.  Tony D'anna is in the top 8 in every Bomber career statistic including being 5th in assists with 128 and 3rd in penalty minutes with 233 (only 4 minors away from 2nd place Brian Kostrowski but a distant 347 minutes away from category leader Bill Auld).  "It felt good to be out there.  Knee seemed fine.  I missed it as much as they said they missed me.  Probably more."  said D'anna after the game.  D'anna had missed all Bomber contests since being forced out with injury on April 24th contest with the Puck Pimps in which he tallied two scores. "It's great to have him back.  We were less "The Bombers" without him." noted the Bomber GM.

The game saw the Bombers and Predators playing a back and forth affair-one that the Bombers were able to stay close but not able to take a lead.  With the Bomber net empty the last 45 seconds proved to be exciting for the capacity crowd, with numerous Bomber chances thwarted by the skilled Predator defense.

Next up for the Bombers-a showdown with the Shamrocks and a long awaited rematch from the 2011 Fall/Winter BSA Championship Finals.

Bombers Get All Pimped Out

The Bombers put a hurtin' on the Puck Pimps in a late night affair at the fashionable Bridgewater Sports Arena's blue rink.  The line of Lundeen, Zimnoch, and Kappmeirer was the story of the evening.  John Zimnoch, who moved up to the foward lines, scored 3 goals and 2 assists to earn First Star honors.  Scott Lundeen had a goal and 4 assists to notch his own 5 point night and 2nd Star honors and Kyle "Zippo" Kappmeir earned the Third star with 2 goals and 2 assists.  In total the entire line had 14 points on the eveining. 

Lupe' Returns-BSA Reopens-Ice Still Sucks

The Bombers were anxious to return to the ice on Monday to face off against cross town rivals the Whalers.  Bridgewater Sports Arena was open again after nearly 3 weeks off due to the effects of hurricane Sandy.  The time of and potential melting away of the old ice was a welcome concept to all that have recently skated on the surface prior to the storm.  Theory being that the time off would allow the staff at BSA to make improvements to the ice surface.  Josh Burke quickly dispelled that notion when he went to his goal crease and noticed the colored plastic goal crease was sticking up through the ice making it impossible as well as unsafe to skate within the crease-a spot for a goalie they spend just a tad amount of time in.  A makeshift repair was made delaying the game nearly 15 minutes and both goalies looked tentative nonetheless when it was their turn to defend the net in question.  But, of course the game went on-player safety being only a more of a wish than an neccesity at BSA.

The other big news of the evening was the return of Lupe' Poltorak from the month long exile that he was forced to take after the unfortante incident in the Bombers last Whaler contest that saw a misplaced Lupe' stick assist on what turned out to be a physics nightmare for the arm of one big boned (but not apparantly big boned enough) Whaler forward.  Word soon got to the Bomber bench that the Whaler in question was afforded a great surgeon and repair of his broken arm seemed to have a full recovery prognosis in due time.  A relief for Lupe who felt badly about the incident even though he had no intention to hurt his opponent. 

So, how ironic it was the Whalers who the Bombers were to play in Lupe's return.  Perhaps motivated by their comrade, the Whalers built a 5-0 lead that the Bombers were only able to finish out with a final 6-3 loss.  The Whalers employed a checking strategy early that earned the ire of one Bomber who found the box with a loudly heard slash against the shinpads of the offending Whaler that resulted in a slashing minor.  A retaliation check later in the contest was accepted later on by number 0 as was the ensuing power play.  As has been the case in many a Bomber man advantage the powere play resulted in a shorthanded goal against. 

Next up for the Bombers, a 9:40 pm matinee vs the Puck Pimps on Sunday November 25th.

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:

Russotti (1)

Lupe (2)

B.Auld (5)

Assists:

Zimnoch

Rober'

Hoyer

Sandy Cancels Tuesday's Game

No game Tuesday, Bomber fans.  Sandy has other plans.  Stay safe, be prepared but don't spend all day watching TV and worrying.  You're hockey players.  You'll get through it!

Bombers Caught in Storm

The Bombers lost to the Storm in a late, late night affair on Tuesday by a 5-1 score.  Leading 1-0 early in the game the Bombers allowed 5 unanswered goals and fell to 2-3 on the season.  The Red rink at BSA was in its usual stellar condition creating the all kinds of excitement along the boards.  Jean Eric Hoyer' returned from his hillbilly trip, scoring the only Bomber goal.

Bombers Stand Tall against Mastadons

The Mastadons, a B2 team without a league, has run roughshot over its new B3 oppenents this season. 27 goals in victories over the Storm, Predators and fellow B2 castoffs the Vudoo.  Rumor has it they have scored at a similar pace in the two other games they have played but its BSA and updates to the league website are done at a leisurely pace.  Suffice to say the Mastadons are good, real good and the league engraver has already checked the correct spelling of their squad's nickname in preperation for a trophy presentation in April.

But the Bombers are no ordinary franchise.  They are a most storied franchise and Tuesday night brought an opportunity for the organization to show that once again to their fan base..  The Bombers held their opponents to a 0-0 score after 1 period, utilizing a single forecheck, counter attack system that didn't allow the Mastadons to skate freely through the neutral zone.  "Our team D was great." said goaltender Josh Burke who was simply stellar during the entire contest, adding, "we forced them to take most of their shots from the perimter-point shots that I could see pretty easily."

The Bombers were presented an opportunity to take a lead late in the second period when they were given a powerplay after the Mastadons took a silly roughing penalty.  But as is the case with numerous Bomber power plays they may have been better served to decline the penalty as the Mastadons scored two shortys and headed into the third with the 2 goal lead.  "The power play took away our momentum really.  We stopped playing the system and had too many guys low." said defenseman John Zimnoch.

The third period would prove interesting as some of the Mastadon fringe players, accostomed to riding the coattails of their much higher skilled team mates began to get frustrated.  Midway through the third Johnny Z confounded the Mastadons with tenacious hustle, zigging and zagging his way free of an on coming player.  The player's reply- a slash, cross check rough combo that although uncalled by the officials did catch the ire of the all the Bomber players.  The adreniline from the play was palpable-adding a bit more purpose to the Bomber skaters and in the 5 minutes that followed they were able to tie the score off two goals by Bill Auld assisted by Rober' Auld and the aforementioned John Zimnoch.  Hoping to get to a shootout, where they would clearly have the advantage with Burke in goal, the Bombers ragged the puck as they had done much of the game in an effort to kill the last 4:55 of regulation play. 

The solid play of the entire team against an oppenent that was playing down a few divisions made it all that more dissapointing when the Mastadons pounced on a loose puck that squirted between the feet of the Bomber defenders en route to the back of the net with 30 seconds remaining.  An empty net goal 9 seconds later finished off the Bombers by a 4-2 score.

State Electric Power Performers of the Game

1st Star: Josh Burke

2nd Star: John Zimnoch  1a

3rd Star: Dave Smith

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:

Bill Auld (3,4)

Assists: 

Rober'

JZ

Penalties:

none

2 Tricks are Better Than 1

I guess it was no surprise really, the Bombers were set up to score in bunches last Sunday when they faced the Admirals at the golden palace of ice hockey facilities- Bridgewater Sports Arena.  Jean Eric Hoyer' who hadn't scored at the pace he has been accostomed, was due for a break out performance, and Scott Lundeen was playing in his first regular season game as a Bomber.  We all know that rookie Bombers have been scoring at an alarming rate in debuts recently.  Breakout Hoyer' did, scoring the 12th hat trick of his Bomber career and Lundeen continued the rookie streak by adding a hat trick of his own en route to a 9-5 blasting of the always difficult Admirals.

"No pictures please" said a humble Lundeen.  "I'm in the witness protection program."  The Bombers cared little if Scotty was humble or on the run, his opportune scoring and impact on the roster numbers was a welcomed addition, fitting in nicely with the veteran Bomber squad.  "I'm happy he's here.  He is a good fit for us both on the ice and in the room."  said Bomber Bill Auld. 

Hoyer' was happy to break out of what he referred to as a slump (4 goals in his last 8 games).  "I was not happy with my stick manufacturer.  I'm really picky on sticks.  Maybe the sticks are fine-a hat trick will do that for ya!" 

Kyle Kappmeier added two goals of his own, both on net mouth deflections, giving the youngster an incredible 12 goals in his first 8 games of his Bomber career.

Another huge lift for the Bombers was the return of the highly skilled Brian Kostrowski who scored 1 goal to go along with 3 assists.  The ever popular Kostrowski was welcomed with much applause when he arrived in the Bomber locker room.  With his return and that of Dave Smith, the Bombers D-line goes from being light in numbers to being a strength of the organization.  They will need that D when they face the apparent juggernaut -Mastadons in their next contest on October 16th.

State Electric Power Performers of the Game:

1st Star:   Scott Lundeen  3g 1a

2nd Star: Brian Kostrowski 1g 3a

3rd Star:  Jean Eric Hoyer' 3g

Whalers beat Bombers 4-3

The Whalers took a 3-0 lead in the third period after what was a closely contested match in the periods prior.  But the Bombers, ever ready for a comeback, tied the game with just over 2 minutes play after third period goals from Kappmeier, Lupe Poltorak and Bill Auld all of which were assited on by Mike Gilbert, Jr..  A shootout looked to be in order until the Whalers again took the lead with under a minute when a flukely redirected seeing eye puck found thel lower stick side of goaltender Burke. 

Unfortunately the game ended on what looked to be a significant arm injury to a Whaler player that required EMT medical attention.  The entire Bomber organization sends out thier best wishes to a speedy recovery for the Whaler foward. 

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:
Kappmeier (2)
B. Auld (2)
Poltorak (1)

Assists:

Junior 3
Rober'
Zimnoch

Bombers Start Strong

Still light on numbers but high on energy, the Bombers were able to start the 2012-13 FW BSA season with a victory.  The Puck Pimps, who had taken the summer season off, had some rust in the early going as the Bombers built up a 5-2 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game.  The Puck Pimps did manage to get the score to 5-4 before Jean Eric Hoyer' scored with 2:17 remaining to give the Bombers the insurance they needed. 

John Zimnoch played iron man once again on D and scored 2 goals and added an assist.  Hoyer' had a another strong outing getting 2 goals and an assist of his own.  Rober' Auld was got 2 assists on the first two goals of the evening-one on the patented Rober' Auld to Bill Auld left dot offensive zone faceoff play.  Rookie Kyle Kappmeier continued his scoring skills from the Summer season and also notched his first penalty in a Bomber uni.  Lupe Poltorak played a stellar D in the first and then to wing in periods 2 and 3 when the Bombers scored 5 of their 6 Bomber goals.

Next up . . . who knows, its BSA and there is no schedule.

State Electric Power Performers of the Game:

1st Star:
John Zimnoch 2g 1a

2nd Star:

Jean Eric Hoyer' 2g 1a

3rd Star:

Loop Poltorak 1a

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:
Zimnoch (1,2)
Hoyer' (1,2)
Kappmeier (1)
B.Auld (1)

Assists:
R.Auld 2
B.Auld 2
Zimnoch
Hoyer'
Poltorak

Summer 12 Season Ending Stats

Points:
19- Bill Auld 5g 14a

18- Jean Eric Hoyer' 7g 11a

11- Kyle Kappmeier 8g 3a

10- Mike Gilbert, Jr 4g 6a

 9- John Zimnoch 1g 8a

 5- Lupe Poltorak 1g 4a

 4- Dave Bochner 2g 2a

 3- Mark Bochner 3g 0a

 3- Dan Scerra 2g 1a

 2- Rober' Auld 1g 1a

 2- Adam Rayho 2g 0a

 2- Greg Russotti 2g 0a

 1- Josh Burke 0g 1a

Goals:

8- Kyle Kappmeier

7- Jean Eric Hoyer'

5- Bill Auld

4- Mike Gilbert Jr

3- Mark Bochner

2- Dave Bochner

2- Adam Rayho

2- Greg Russotti

2- Dan Scerra

1- Rober' Auld

1- Lupe Poltorak

1- John Zimnoch

Assists:

14- Bill Auld

11- Jean Eric Hoyer'

 8- John Zimnoch

 6- Mike Gilbert, Jr

 4- Lupe Poltorak

 3- Kyle Kappmeier

 2- Dave Bochner

 1- Rober' Auld

 1- Josh Burke

 1- Dan Scerra

Penalty Minutes:

28- Bill Auld

25- Dan Scerra

20- Lupe Poltorak

 4- Rober' Auld

 4- John Zimnoch

 2- Jean Eric Tiger Williams Hoyer'

Bombers Lose in Finals

The elusive 8th Bomber championship will have to wait another season.  The Bombers fell to the Storm 5-0 in the finale of the Summer 12 BSA season.  Mike Gilbert, Sr and Tony D'anna, both on injured reserved were in attendance hoping to witness Bomber history.  Their support was appreciated by the Bomber faithful and after dinner libations with the crew helped with the loss.   As we say, Bomber hockey, always a week away.

It Would Take 5 to Beat Admirals

The Bombers were up 4-2 in a playoff game versus the Admirals.  A team that had beat the storied franchise an incredible 9 games in a row.  Everything was in line for the Bombers to end that streak and get into the Finals of the Summer season with just a few minutes remaining in the game.  But this is the playoffs, they are the Admirals and drama was still left to be had.  The Admirals fought back and scored two goals to tie the contest and send the playoff game into overtime.

"Not tonight boys" could be heard on the Bomber bench.  "Not tonight."  The Bombers had hoped to win this game, their first back since the passing of Bomber legend ,#5, Neil Van Der Horn.  And win they would, when rookie Kyle Kappmeier scored his 4th goal of the night early in the OT off a stellar feed from Jean Eric Hoyer'.  That made the score 5-4 and the significance of the number 5 was not lost on John Zimnoch.  "That's 5!" shouted Zimnoch.  "We got Neil on the scoresheet!" 

The Bombers reveled in their victory and in the memory of their friend and teammate.  It was a game that Neil would have enjoyed.  A game with good clean fun, cameraderie and sportsmanship.  Sadness was in their hearts, yes, but it was clear there was also joy in the locker room.  Joy brought by the memories of time spent with a good friend.  A Bomber who played the game for fun with a smile on his face and the number 5 on his back. 

State Electric Power Performers of the Game

1st Star:

Kyle Kappmeier 4g

2nd Star:

Jean Eric Hoyer' 1g 1a

3rd Star:

John Zimnoch  3a

Always a Bomber

sadness fills our hearts

Russotti Continues Streak of Big Bomber Debuts

Greg Russotti debuted as a Bomber foward on Monday scoring the game's first goal.  Russotti, the original Bomber netminder added another goal in the second period to continue a streak of goalscoring performances for Bomber newcomers.  Mike Lonergan started the trend, scoring 4 goals in his debut back in 2010.  Mark Poltorak had 2 goals in his first game and 5 in his first 3 games in 2011 and Dan Scerra and Kyle Kappmeier both had hat tricks in their 2012 debuts while Adam Rayho netted 2 of his own.  That's a lot of great debuts.  Must be the adreneline rush of playing for the most storied franchise in NJ adult ice hockey history.

The 2 goals for Russotti were not enough as the Bombers fell to the Admirals by a 6-5 score.  It was the 3rd time this season the Bombers have lost to the pesky Admirals and the ninth game in a row overall.

Next up for the Bombers- a playoff match up versus . . . you guessed it . . . the pesky Admirals.

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:

Russotti (1,2)
B.Auld (5)
Kappmeier (4)

Poltorak (1)

Assists:

B.Auld 2
Hoyer' 2
Zimnoch
Kappmeier
Burke

PIMs:

B.Auld -2

Bombers Right Ship

The Bombers handed the Predators a 6-2 defeat in what was a much needed well played victory.  Falling down 2-0 in the first the Bombers feared they were on the road to another defeat at the hands of the Predators who were 2-0 vs the Bombers this season.  But 6 unanswered goals- 2 by recent call up Adam Rayho and 1 each from JZ, Dave Bochner, Bill Auld and Eric Hoyer helped erase the memory of the Bombers recent defeats.  "This was a good solid game.  We got to go into the Admiral game and come up with a win there.  If we do, no matter what our record we would have beat every team in the league.  And that will set us up well for the playoffs." said some guy named Bill trying to point out to the team reading this post that, eh-it could be worse.

State Electric Power Performers of the Game:


1st Star: Superstar Johnny Z 1g 2a

2nd Star:  Loop Poltorak 2a

 

3rd Star: Uncle Adam Rayho 2g

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:
Adam Rayho (1,2)
Eric Hoyer (6)
Bill Auld (4)
Junior (4)
D.Bochner (2)

Assists:
Zimnoch-2
Junior-2
B.Auld-2
Polorak-2
D.Bochner

PIM

B.Auld-2 min roughing

Bombers Bullied by Storm

The Bombers got smushed in a 9-1 thrashing at the hands of the Storm. Playing without their captain who is usually the voice of reason, the Storm bashed the Bombers both on the scoreboard and with their bodies.  The Storm look as though they wanted to beat up the Bombers not only defeat them.  And they did, body checking their opponents and sending their all-star A league defensemen into the attacking zone with a 6 goal lead and little time left.  A stick to the throat of goaltender Josh Burke by an aggressive Storm player trying to make it a 9 goal victory with 2 minutes remaining was enough for Bombers Loop Poltorak and Bill Auld who each got 10 minute misconduct penalties ending their evenings. 

The Bombers fall to 1-5 with the loss which is an unfamiliar record for the storied franchise for at least the recent memory.  Next up, another chance at the Predators on Monday.

Bombers Try to Win One for Ulfie

The pesky Admirals were the opponent for the Bombers at Tuesday's contest at the Bridgewater Sports Arena.  But the Bomber organization had much bigger things on their mind forced to go into the game with a heavy heart.  The team learned pregame that Bomber legend Neil "Ulfie" Van der horn would face a complicated surgery the next day to address an unexpected health issue. The Bombers, shocked at the news chose to use it as motivation as is often the case in sport.   "Let's win this one for Ulfie!" yelled Neil's brother-in-law and friend Rober' Auld.  "Let's win this one for Ulfie!!" was the reply back from the Bomber squad. 

The game was a barn burner and one that Neil would surely like to take part in.  The backhanded slap shot was open all night and he most certainly would have cashed in.  Playing from behind the entire game a well stocked Bomber squad relied heavily on the Bochner Boys, Mark and Dave.  Perhaps inspired by the pregame emotion, Mark tallied 3 goals and Dave had 1 goal to go along with 1 assist. 

Finally the Bombers were able to tie the contest off a goal from Mike Gilbert, Jr and unlike the previous game vs the Predators the Bombers were able to reach the OT shootout.  And what a shootout it was as neither team could break down the opposing goaltender.  The initial 3 shooters all came up empty forcing the sudden death rounds to begin.  After 8 rounds the Bombers again found themselves on the losing end of a 7-6 defeat. 

"Hey, at least we got a point.  Neil would be proud.  We needed his shootout skills.  If we had that we wold have won."  noted Bill Auld.  So even though they were not able to win this one for their friend the Bombers were able to look at the positives.  And to a man they asked that the faithful Bomber fans carry that same optimism for Ulfie's surgery.  "Keep sending out your positive mojo to Neil." asked Rober'. "He can use all you can muster."

State Electric Power Performers of the Game:

1st , 2nd and 3rd Star: 

Neil "Ulfie" Van der horn- Get well soon!!!

Comeback Foiled

The Bombers were put themselves in a bad spot allowing 4 goals in the first period against a Predator squad that is finding its legs in the B3 division.  Down 6-3 late in the third, the Bombers decided to make a push and as they have done many times in their history bounced back to tie the game off a Bill Auld shot with 42 seconds left.  Overtime looked to be a nice destination as the Bombers had dominated the game since the slow first period start-outscoring the Preds by a 6-2 score from there on. 

And then it happened.  The Predators did not give up on a play in the neutral zone, stealing the puck with seconds left.  The opposing attacker sensing time was thin, flipped a wild seemingly harmless puck towards the Bomber end.  2 seconds then 1 then . . . a deflection of Bomber defender Loop Poltorak . . . goal Predators.  No overtime, no point and no chance at the victory.  Bomber captain Bill Auld took the blame saying "I should have dumped the puck into their zone and played for the shootout.  They stole it and then anything goes.  It was a fluke goal but a good effort on their part.  I feel bad for Loop.  Wrong place wrong time."

So the Bombers will look to change the summer's fortune against the Admirals-a team that has given the organization fits in recent memory.

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:
Hoyer (4,5)
B.Auld (1,2)
Scerra (1,2)

Assists:
Hoyer-4
B.Auld -3
JR

PIM's:
Scerra 15
B.Auld 2
Poltorak 2

Kappmeier Debut a Trick and a Treat

Kyle Kappmeier made his Bomber debut in high fashion donning a loaned out historic #7 jersey and scoring a hat trick in a wild 6-5 victory over the Storm on Wednesday.  "It was an honor to wear the jersey." said a humble Kappmeier who because of being a late minute call up did not have his jersey made up in time.  Bomber legend Mike Gilbert, Sr was in attendance and graciously gave up his number and jersey to make the new kid feel at home.  "Hey, that's Bomber hockey!" noted Senior. The hat trick was the second time in recent memory when a debut also marked a hat trick for a Bomber rookie.  Dan Scerra accomplished the same feet during the Spring 2012 season. 

The Bombers had a comfortable 6-3 lead with 2:02 seconds left in the third.  But two quick Storm goals left the outcome in doubt and the Bomber crew fought off a few last second goalmouth exchanges to secure the victory.  Jean Eric Hoyer' notched 2 goals and 3 assists, Bill Auld had 4 helpers and Mike Gilbert, Jr netted the game winner.  Ironmen John Zimnoch and Loop Poltorak played all 45 minutes of the contest on defense.  The depleted Bomber squads numbers got even more sparse when Rober' Auld was a late minute scratch attendening to his wife who had injured herself in a bizzare bathroom soffit debacle moments before the game. 

Next up for the Bombers- a rematch with the Predators on Wednesday August 1.

State Electric Power Performers of the Game

1st Star:

Kyle Kappmeier  3g in his Bomber Debut

2nd Stars:

 

the Defensive duo of Zimnoch and Loop

3rd Star:

 

Jean Eric Hoyer' 2g 3a

Bomber Box Score:

Goals:

Kappmeier (1,2,3)

Hoyer' (2,3)

Junior (2)

Assists:

B.Auld-4

Hoyer'-3

Junior-2