Roughriders Open Richmond Midget Tournament with Back to Back Wins

Vancouver, British Columbia - The Rocky Mountain Roughrider U16 team opened the Richmond International Midget Hockey Tournament with back to back wins.

On Monday afternoon at the Richmond Ice Centre Igloo, the Rocky Mountain Roughriders squared off against the Mission Stars. Keegan McCarthy got the puck rolling for the Roughriders netting an unassisted goal at the 8:01 mark of the first period. The Roughriders had strong puck movement and showed a lot of energy during the first period considering the substantial amount of travel that was required to get the team to Vancouver.

Thomas Jarman connected with Colin Biebel at 11:45 of the first to give the Roughriders a solid 2-0 lead. The penalties in the first period were almost equal with the Stars getting called for two minor infractions and the Roughriders sitting for one. The second period was more of an equal defensive battle with neither team able to light the lamp in the second period. The Roughriders headed to the locker room after the second with a 2-0 lead.

Mark Ferguson trimmed the lead to one goal when he put the Stars on the board just 1:08 into the third period. Michael Buonincontri recovered the two goal lead when, about a minute later, he netted an unassisted goal putting the Roughriders up 3-1.

They say that a 3-1 lead is the toughest lead in hockey. You are not far enough ahead to consider the game is under control but you are far enough ahead that sometimes teams get complacent and that is exactly what happened at 6:50 of the third period when Mark Ferguson popped his second goal of the game trimming the lead back to one at 3-2.

It took the Roughriders about 6 minutes to respond when RJ Salvato took a Nathan Guymon and Hunter Clark pass and extended the lead to two goals again. With time running out in the third, Thomas Jarman took a Colin Biebel pass and sealed the win for the Roughriders.

Hunter Clark was given the game MVP award by the Tournament association. 

On Tuesday afternoon the Roughriders faced off against the Seattle Jr. Admirals. From the outset, it was apparent that the travel had finally caught up with the Roughriders. Every player's feet looked heavy and every stride was labored. However, remarkably, the Roughriders were able to get away with a 5-3 victory.

Michael Buonincontri put the Roughriders on the board first when he beat Sean Healy on the short side with passes from Adam Durkee and Yannick Crete at 0:31 of the first period. Kai Wilkins brought the game to 1 goal a piece when he snuck the puck passed Roughrider netminder Evan McCarthy. Just before the close of the first period, Yannick Crete buried a Buonincontri pass to take a 2-1 lead into the second period.

Yannick Crete worked hard and was in the right place at the right time when he grabbed a feed from Lucas Blomquist and stretched the Roughrider lead to 3-1. The Jr. Admirals were not going away and made it a one goal game at 9:56 of the second when Brad Lelievre sparked a comeback rally. The Roughriders skated into the intermission with a scant 3-2 lead.

The intermission pep talk from John Paris, Jr. did the trick as the Roughriders returned to the ice with more energy and more emotion. A slight miscue at 2:43 of the third period by the Roughriders allowed the Jr. Admirals to trim the lead back to one.  Just over a minute later at 3:56 of the third, RJ Salvato gave the Roughriders a bit of breathing room pushing the lead back out to 4-3. It wasn't until 18:01 in the third that Colin Biebel gave the Roughriders an insurance goal. The Roughriders skated out the rest of the game and were quite lucky to come away with a 5-3 victory.

The Roughriders advance to 2-0 in Round Robin play and face the Semiahmoo Ravens tomorrow at Richmond Oval North.


Game 1 Official Gamesheet

Game 2 Official Gamesheet

Roughriders Head to Vancouver, British Columbia for the Richmond International Midget Hockey Tournament

Westminister, CO - The Rocky Mountain Roughrider U16 AAA team traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia yesterday via Salt Lake City and Seattle, Washington to take part in the Richmond International Midget Hockey Tournament. The team will be in Canada from December 26th until January 1st.

The Roughriders get underway this morning with a 12:45MST start against the Mission Stars. The teams will be skating at the Richmond Ice Centre Igloo.

The complete playing schedule is as follows:

Round Robin Play
December 27: 11:45am (PST) Game 1 vs Mission Stars. Richmond Ice Centre (Igloo rink)
December 28: 12:30pm (PST) Game 2 vs Seattle Jr Admirals. Richmond Ice Centre (Igloo rink)
December 29: 1:00pm (PST) Game 4 vs Semiahmoo Ravens A1. Olympic Oval Arena (Oval rink)

Tournament Play
December 30:
Quarter Finals
10:00 am Yzerman Seed 2 @ Richmond Ice Centre (Gardens rink)
12:00 pm Yzerman Seed 1 @ Richmond Ice Centre (Igloo rink)

Consolation games (...probably will not apply to a JPJ coached team!)
2:45 pm Yzerman Seed 4 @ Minoru Arena (Stadium rink) (walk)
2:45 pm Yzerman Seed 3 @ Richmond Ice Centre (Garage rink)

Semi Finals
5:30 pm If Winner of Seed 2 game. @ Richmond Ice Centre (Pond rink)
5:30 pm If Winner of Seed 1 game. @ Richmond Ice Centre (Gardens rink)

Championship Play
December 31:
9:30 am Bronze Medal game @ Richmond Ice Centre (Coliseum rink) (hotel shuttle to rink)
11:15 am Gold Medal game @ Minoru Arena (Stadium rink) (walk to rink)

Follow all the action by clicking this Pointstreak Link.

Roughriders sputter and get lucky to tie Tbirds 2-2

Denver, CO - December 11, 2010 - It is hard to imagine that the same two teams played each other almost exactly 24 hours earlier. Neither team was the same as they were in the previous game. Where the Roughriders could do no wrong the night before, they could do no right tonight. Conversely, the Thunderbirds played exceptional hockey. There is no telling why this game wasn't a blow out in favor of the Thunderbirds, but the Roughriders maintained some semblance of composure in the third and pulled out a miraculous tie.

The Roughriders did manage to get on the board first when Felix Jarry finished what Thomas Jarman and Joey Marchese had started. Jarry found the net at 9:03 of the first giving Roughriders the early 1-0 lead. The Roughriders carried the lead early into the second when Jesse Shelton put the Thunderbirds on the board. The Thunderbirds continued to control the pace of the game and struck gold at 10:44 of the second when Carter Brodeur put the Thunderbirds up 2-1.

The entire second period was marred with penalties, however neither team was able to capitalize with the man advantage. After the ice make between the 2nd and 3rd periods, the Roughriders looked to take control of the game. However they struggled to stay in the game. The Roughriders caught a fortuitous break when RJ Salvato the game tying goal at 6:15 of the third period.

The Roughriders have been on the ice 18 of the last 19 days and it finally caught up with them. This team is in need of some rest and recuperation before the push to playoffs.


Official Gamesheet

Roughriders Blank Thunderbirds 5-0

Westminister, CO - December 10, 2010 - In their second matchup in the same number of weeks, the Rocky Mountain Roughriders U16 team blanked the Colorado Thunderbirds 5-0 in front of a sell out crowd on the green rink at the Promenade Ice Arena. The Roughriders played a very solid game with very few mistakes while the Thunderbirds couldn't establish any control on either side of the ice.

Hunter Clark got things going early when he made sure George Gruber's shot made it over the line giving the Roughriders a 1-0 lead. The Roughriders never looked back as things continued to go their way. Keegan McCarthy hoped on the scoring bandwagon when his slapshot from the point found its way to the back of the net. A ridiculous celebration ensued as the Roughriders notched up the lead to 2-0.

Colin Biebel was the Roughrider to try his hand at scoring. He pulled the trigger on a laser from the hash marks beating Chase Horton to give the Roughriders a comfortable 3 goal lead. The Roughriders and Thunderbirds exchanged penalties in the second and allowing Thomas Jarman to step in and net a power play goal with assists going to Lance Pennington and a rare assist to the goalie, Joakim Jutras. The Roughriders powerplay was 1 for 5 on the evening while the Thunderbird's usually potent powerplay went 0 for 4.

The Roughriders closed out the scoring in the third when Joey Marchese found paydirt at the 3:25 mark putting the Roughriders up for good at 5-0.

The game was a sheer pleasure to watch as almost everything seemed to be clicking for the Roughriders and the team was playing well as a unit.


Official Gamesheet

Roughriders go 4-1 in NAPHL Showcase in Boston

Foxboro, MA - The Rocky Mountain Roughriders U16 AAA team went 4-1-0 in showcase play improving their overall league record to 10-5-0. The Roughriders are currently tied for sixth place in the league with 20 points and must post strong numbers in upcoming Showcases in order to advance to the NAPHL playoffs. The league takes the top six teams. Currently, 3 points separates the top six teams. The battle at the top of the league is fierce and every win counts.


Roughriders 4 vs. San Jose Jr. Sharks 1

On Friday, December 3rd the Roughriders defeated the San Jose Jr. Sharks 4-1. The Roughriders were in control in all 3 of the 17 minute periods. Michael Buonincontri, Yannick Crete and Adam Durkee continued to be the hot line in this match tallying a combined 4 points. The Roughrider's outshot the Sharks 29-21 with Joakim Jutras earning the win.
Official Gamesheet

Roughriders 2 vs. Omaha 3

Later on that day the Roughriders ran into top placed Omaha who was fresh off an overtime shootout loss earlier that morning. The teams were both hungry for a win and bragging rights in NAPHL play. From the opening faceoff it was a dog-fight. Both benches were fired up. The Roughriders struck first netting the opening goal at 2:58 of the second period when Yannick Crete hit Adam Durkee with a pass in slot. Durkee made no mistake roofing the puck in the top of twine.

Omaha would answer later in the period and get the next two goals giving them a 2-1 margin. Joey Marchese brought the tilt back to even when he pounded in a Thomas Jarman rebound shot. Each team swapped momentum several times throughout the third and it looked like this one was headed for a shootout until the Roughrider's were called for an untimely infraction and Omaha converted on the ensuing powerplay putting the game away. The Roughriders drop the match 2-3 and were 1-1 in the Showcase so far.

Shots on goal were very even with Omaha putting 21 on net and the Roughriders putting up 20.
Official Gamesheet

Roughriders 6 vs. Indianpolis Jr. Ice 0

On Saturday morning the Roughriders were on the ice early and beat the Indiana Jr. Ice 6-0. The two teams had met before at the Chicago Nike Bauer Tournament in a 2-period playoff shortened game where the Roughriders got the nod and advanced to the next round sending the Jr. Ice home.

To say that the Jr. Ice wanted retribution would be an understatement. The Jr. Ice hit the ice like a cornered wolverine. They outraced the Roughriders to every loose puck, hit every check and generally put more effort on the ice for the first period, however the momentum swung 180 degrees when Yannick Crete put Lucas Blomquist's shot from the point in on the rebound. The Roughriders weathered the storm and came out in the second period with a new lease on life and turned the momentum table.

It was pretty much all Roughriders from the second period until the final buzzer. Braiden Miller and Lance Pennington topped all scorers with 2 points, however 13 of the 20 players on the Roughriders scored at least one point. That is a very balanced and potent offense.

Evan McCarthy got the start and win in net stopping all 18 shots and recording a shutout.
Official Gamesheet

Roughriders 5 vs. Texas Tornado 1

Saturday afternoon saw the Roughriders at Iorio Arena on the Olympic Rink take on the Texas Tornado. The Roughriders outshot the Tornado 41-13 and controlled the pace of play from the opening faceoff until the final buzzer.

Michael Buonincontri tallied a hat trick while RJ Salvato and Hunter Clark also buried the puck for the Roughriders. Evan McCarthy got his second start in the same day and stopped 12 of 13 shots and looked very solid in net.
Official Gamesheet


Roughriders 5 vs. Lansing Capitals 2

Sunday, December 5, 2010 Foxboro Sports Center Rink 2 the Roughriders stepped on the ice to take on the Lansing Capitals. The Capitals have struggled in NAPHL play so far this year posting a record of 1-12-2. This game would prove no different as the Roughriders had little trouble dispatching the Capitals. Michael Buonincontri, Adam Durkee and Nathan Guymon had the first three goals in the match before the Capitals got on the board.

The offensive output from the Roughriders was still a bit apathetic as it seemed the boys did only what they needed to do to get the win. The Roughriders put up a paltry 15 shots on goal, but did manage to put 5 of those shots in goal. The Capitals, however, out performed the Roughriders in the mediocrity category by posting only 10 shots on goal.


Official Gamesheet

3rd Period Rally topples Thunderbirds 7-5

Roughriders beat Tbirds to win CC Showcase

Colorado Springs, CO - Sunday afternoon brought about a match up for the ages. The 13th ranked Rocky Mountain Roughriders faced the 5th ranked Colorado Thunderbirds. The Colorado Thunderbirds U16 AAA team are the reigning National Champions and have a fierce rivalry between the cross town Rocky Mountain Roughriders.

You may have had a full seat for this match but you really only needed the edge of it. The energy and pace of play in the game was nuclear! Both teams played as if it were the national championship.

Adam Durkee gave the Roughriders the lead when he took a Yannick Crete pass, bent that 87 flex stick in half and buried the biscuit where grandpa hides his dentures. 1-0 Roughriders!

The 1-0 lead only lasted a few minutes. At 13:00 of the first period Carter Brodeur found the puck on the back door and cranked it in evening the tilt at 1 goal a piece.  At 15:17 of the first period Lucas Blomquist fired a laser from the point that found its way to the back of the net catching all 12 players on the ice by surprise. An amazing slapshot opened up a 1 goal lead heading into the second period.

The second period didn't go so well for the Roughriders. Penalty trouble spoiled the tempo and opened the door for the Thunderbirds who have a lethal powerplay.  At 10:21 of the second period, Ian Mansfield netted the tying goal for the Thunderbirds.  At 17:57 of the second period, Michael Buonincontri and Nathan Guymon were both assessed penalties, roughing and hooking respectively. The Thunderbirds took advantage of these penalties scoring on the 5 on 3 advantage and scoring several seconds later on the 5 on 4 advantage.

The Roughriders went into the locker room for the icemake a bit stunned looking at a 2-4 deficit. What had just happened? In a game with such high level, high talent teams how do you comeback from a two goal deficit? Only a few people will ever know what coach John Paris, Jr. said in the locker room, but whatever it was it should be bottled and sold. It was pure gold.

The Roughriders hit the ice for the third period and right from the opening faceoff took matters into their own hands.  Just 12 seconds into the third period, Michael Buonincontri grabbed the puck off the faceoff, drove into the zone, and fired a shot beating goalie Chase Horton (the official scoresheet states the goal was scored a 3:12, but the scoresheet is based off 20 minute periods instead of the 17 minute periods played at U16AAA). The goal brought the Roughriders back to within 1 goal at 3-4.

At 6:44 of the third, Thomas Jarman struck gold on a shot from the faceoff dot beating Horton for the second time in just over 3 minutes. Horton was pulled and replaced by Jon Strand. The ensuing tirade on the bench by Horton was reminiscent of a John McEnroe meltdown.

The Roughriders found themselves on the powerplay after Thunderbirds player, Tyler Spratte, found himself in the box on an interference call.  The Roughriders setup on the powerplay and moved the puck with purpose. After Crete and Durkee cycled the puck, Buonincontri took the pass and gave the Roughriders a 5-4 lead!

Comebacks of this nature don't come along very often and they are definitely something to behold. But the Roughriders aren't done yet. At 14:15 of the 3rd period, Buonincontri finds himself all alone with the goalie and there was no razzle-dazzle just a clean shot to beat Strand giving the Roughriders a bit of insurance leading 6-4 and netting him a natural hat trick!

As with any quality team, the Thunderbirds weren't going to go away quietly. Evan Feno got the Thunderbirds back into the game with 58 seconds left on the clock. With less than a minute to play it was still a 1 goal game. The Tbirds called a timeout to strategize and rest their players. The Tbirds came out and won the faceoff and controlled the puck in the Roughriders zone. In a botched attempt to pull the goalie the Tbirds couldn't get the extra attacker on. Finally, the goalie headed towards the bench just as the puck changed possession to the Roughriders. Buonincontri scooped up the loose puck and headed towards the promised land. Just over center ice he fired the puck into the empty net to seal the win and record his 4th goal of the period.

In all the years that I have watched hockey, including Stanley Cup playoffs, CHL Championships, Frozen Four Finals this has to be one of the BEST third period comebacks I have ever witnessed. Impressive.

Shots on goal were even at 18 a piece. Joakim Jutras, however, hangs on for the win.



Official Gamesheet

Roughriders beat Tri-City Americans 3-2

Adam Durkee fires a shot on Net

Colorado Springs, CO - On Saturday evening the Rocky Mountain Roughriders U16 AAA team took on the Tri-City Americans. The Tri-City Americans are from South central Washington making them the furthest traveled team at the showcase.

The Roughriders struck first taking a 1-0 lead when Bobby Valdez buried a Colin Biebel pass with the second assist going to Felix Jarry. At 10:22 of the second period the Americans got on the board tying the game at one goal a piece. The two teams retired to the locker room after two periods tied at 1.

The score doesn't always tell the tale of the game. The Roughriders were punishing the Americans after two periods yet the game was tied. Several of the American players were so tired they could barely skate to the bench at the end of their shifts, however they soldiered on. Loren Canada, the Americans goalie, (I know the irony is amazing..right?) was simply stellar in the contest. Canada stopped everything sent his way and left only a few rebounds.

After the icemake the Roughriders got right back to work. Collin Biebel took a pass from Braiden Miller and broke free up the middle of the ice, one deke later and the Roughriders had a 1 goal lead. At 13:31 of the third period Achmat Jappie from the Americans knotted the match back up at 2.

The Roughriders continued to dominate puck possession, yet Canada continued to played amazing between the pipes. At 18:26 of the third period the Roughriders found retribution when Yannick Crete pounded in the rebound from a Lance Pennington shot from the point. The Roughriders finally had the lead that they so deserved.

The final shots in the game were 38-15 in favor of the Roughriders.


Official Gamesheet

Next Game: Roughriders vs. Colorado Thunderbirds U16