On February 18th through 20th, 2012 the Buffalo Trace team of the Manhattan Roller Hockey League participated in the NARCh East Coast Winternationals  tournament  held at the Dream Sports Center in Apex, North Carolina per the schedule and game results shown below.  Pictures of the team in action, including their February 20th Mens Silver Finals game against the Mississauga Rattlers (white jerseys), have been pasted below. 

Results from the tournament are listed below and also available on the NARCh Winternationals Scores, Photos and Blogs Page.  NARCh CEO Daryn Goodwin mentions Buffalo Trace Captain Chris Pelka in his East Coast Winternationals closing remarks blog post.  Highlights from this tournament can be seen on these Day 1 Highlights and Day 2 Highlights YouTube videos.

The five other teams playing against Buffalo Trace in the Mens Division were as follows:

Alkali Buffalo Fusion from Buffalo, New York

Cannibals Venezuela from Caracas, Venezuela

Mississauga Rattlers from Mississauga, Ontario

Silicon Valley Quakes (playing as NorCal Elite) from the San Francisco area

Suffolk Sting - a PIHA team from Moriches, New York (Suffolk County on Long Island)

Buffalo Trace Captain Chris Pelka (at right) and teammates at 2012 East Coast Winternationals in Apex, North Carolina

Members of Buffalo Trace and Silicon Valley Quakes teams during a lengthy shattered glass delay caused by a collision on the boards between Kyle Roberts of BT and the bearded Quakes player

The Buffalo Trace team as Silver Medal runner-ups in the Mens Division at the 2012 East Coast Winternationals (back row left-to-right: Rob Pfeifer, Seth Rubin, Captain Chris Pelka, Christopher Moreira / front row left-to-right: Brandon Gregor, Kyle Roberts, goaltender Jim Murray, Blake Kotler)

SATURDAY  FEBRUARY 18th, 2012

OPENING ROUND MEN’S DIVISION GAMES  

Suffolk Sting (12) over Buffalo Trace (4)                                                                    

Mississauga Rattlers (7) over Cannibals Venezuela (1)                                                        

Alkali Buffalo Fusion 4-4 tie with Silicon Valley Quakes / NorCal Elite

Silicon Valley Quakes / NorCal Elite (6) over Mississauga Rattlers (0)

Suffolk Sting 4-4 tie with Alkali Buffalo Fusion                                                               

Buffalo Trace 5-5 tie with Cannibals Venezuela

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 19th, 2012

Buffalo Trace 3-3 tie with Silicon Valley Quakes / NorCal Elite                                                                         

Suffolk Sting (6) over Mississauga Rattlers (1)                                                                         

Alkali Buffalo Fusion (5) over Cannibals Venezuela (3)

MONDAY FEBRUARY 20th, 2012

Men’s Silver Playoff:  #5 Seed Buffalo Trace (4) over #6 Seed Cannibals Venezuela (3)

Men’s Gold Playoff:  #3 Seed Alkali Buffalo Fusion (4) OT over #2 Seed Silicon Vally Quakes / NorCal Elite (3)

Men’s Gold Final:  #3 Seed Alkali Buffalo Fusion (6) over #1 Seed Suffolk Sting (5)

Men’s Silver Final:  #4 Seed Mississauga Rattlers (6) over #5 Seed Buffalo Trace (4)

The Buffalo Trace team (pictured above last year playing as Brother Jimmy’s BBQ) won the four team Adult Silver+ Division at the Coastal Cup Regional Qualifier tournament held at the same rink on February 26th and 27th, 2011. 

 TEAM ROSTER AT 2011 COASTAL CUP TOURNAMENT:
Chris Pelka (Captain)
Jay Flood
Brandon Gregor
Blake Kotler
Wes McDaniel
Chris Moreira
Rob Pfeifer
Seth Rubin
Chris Musso (Goalie)

MANHATTAN ROLLER HOCKEY LEAGUE FREE AGENT TRYOUT SKATE:   In advance of the Spring 2012 season the Manhattan Roller Hockey League is holding a free agent tryout skate on Saturday, March 3rd 2012 at 11:00AM at the 96th Street and First Avenue rink in Manhattan (weather and rink conditions permitting / Sunday March 4th at 11:00AM will be used as a backup date in case of rain or snow on March 3rd).

Any adult roller hockey player interested in trying out should contact the MRHL Chairman Tom Smith at tom.smith.mrhl@gmail.com. Players must be on at least an intermediate skill level and 18 years of age or older. The MRHL captains will be invited to this tryout skate so they can see available free agents playing but there is no guarantee tryout participants will be asked to join a team.

No player will be allowed to participate in this tryout unless FULL COMPLIANCE with the following rules is exhibited:

Helmets     Must be puck-rated with a FULL cage or FULL face shield. NO half shields or helmets without any facial protection can be used. Goaltenders MUST wear skates and a puck-rated helmet. If you come to the tryout without a proper helmet you will not play.

Shin Guards / Hockey Pants     No player should come to this tryout without shin guards and long pants that cover them. Any player wearing shorts simply will not play. Non-covered shin guards are illegal in any inline league.

Gloves     All players must wear hockey gloves.

Skates     Both Inline and Quad skates are allowed.

Elbow and Shoulder Pads and Cups     While they are not required the Manhattan Roller Hockey League strongly advises players to wear elbow pads, shoulder pads and protective cups. All such protective gear MUST be covered by fabric per USA Roller Sports rules (jersey sleeves over elbow pads and long inline pants over shin guards).

JUST FOR LAUGHS:  If you have not seen it yet check out this video of the Memorial Cup trophy breaking during the awards ceremony after a 2008 Canadian Hockey League championship finals between the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League and the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2cT5J0gxeU

Any adult roller hockey player interested in trying out should contact the MRHL Chairman Tom Smith at tom.smith.mrhl@gmail.com. Players must be on at least an intermediate skill level and 18 years of age or older.  The MRHL captains will be invited to this tryout skate so they can see available free agents playing but there is no guarantee tryout participants will be asked to join a team.

No player will be allowed to participate in this tryout unless FULL COMPLIANCE with the following rules is exhibited:

Helmets

Must be puck-rated with a FULL cage or FULL face shield. NO half shields or helmets without any facial protection can be used. Goaltenders MUST wear skates and a puck-rated helmet. If you come to the tryout without a proper helmet you will not play.

Shin Guards / Hockey Pants

No player should come to this tryout without shin guards and long pants that cover them. Any player wearing shorts simply will not play. Non-covered shin guards are illegal in any inline league.

Gloves

All players must wear hockey gloves.

Skates

Both Inline and Quad skates are allowed.

Elbow and Shoulder Pads and Cups

While they are not required the Manhattan Roller Hockey League strongly advises players to wear elbow pads, shoulder pads and protective cups. All such protective gear MUST be covered by fabric per USA Roller Sports rules (jersey sleeves over elbow pads and long inline pants over shin guards).

Over the past few days the board has voted to approve an expansion from 18 to 20 teams.  The Tier 2 Liberty Conference will grow to twelve teams (six each in either an East Side or West Side division) with the addition of two new teams called the Rams and the Eagles.  Their logos and links to their current rosters and information about the teams are all provided below.

The MRHL board also readmitted the Mighty Mouses squad, after their Fall 2011 haitus from the league, as a replacement for the Porkys Tickets team.  The Mighty Mouses logo and roster and team information links are also provided below.

The Tier 2 Liberty Conference divisional alignment and playoff format have yet to be decided so the Standings page for those twelve teams is not yet current.

The MRHL Board Of Directors also approved a switch from game lengths of three periods to two twenty minute halves for regular season and playoff games.  More updates about the upcoming Spring 2012 season will be posted soon.

Eagles team roster page

Eagles team information page

 

Rams team information page

Anthony Dascal / #10 on Buffalo Trace (Fall 2011 Tier 1 Goaltender MVP / 3.60 GAA and an .854 Save Percentage)

REGULAR SEASON GOALTENDING EXCELLENCE AWARD

Tier 1  /  Empire Conference:  Anthony Dascal / #10 on Buffalo Trace  (3.60 GAA / .854 Save Percentage)

Tier 2  /  Liberty Conference:  Robert Benson / #9 on Van Diemens Bar  (3.40 GAA / .850 Save Percentage)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER – REGULAR SEASON

Tier 1  /  Empire Conference:  Jon Foster / #15 on Wharf Bar & Grill

Tier 2  /  Liberty Conference:  Dennis McLaughlin / #9 on  BDO Seidman

LEADING SCORER – REGULAR SEASON

Tier 1  /  Empire Conference:  Mike Gardner / #5 on Professor Thoms’ (27 goals and 22 assists for 49 points)

Tier 2  /  Liberty Conference:  Chase Sandler / #24 on Special Delivery (14 goals and 11 assists for 25 points)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER - PLAYOFFS

Tier 1  /  Empire Conference:  Adam Root / #66 on Professor Thom’s

Tier 2  /  Liberty Conference:  Michael Hauptman / Goaltender/Captain for Special Delivery

Jon Foster / #15 on Wharf Bar & Grill (Fall 2011 Tier 1 Regular Season MVP / 29 goals and 9 assists with 4 GWG / Trophy presented by MRHL Hockey Director Hank Livia)

Adam Root / #66 on Professor Thom's (Fall 2011 Tier 1 Playoffs MVP / 7 goals and 14 assists with 1 GWG / Trophy presented by MRHL Chairman Tom Smith)

Mike Hauptman / #31 on Special Delivery (Fall 2011 Tier 2 Playoffs MVP / 1.67 GAA with a .936 Save Percentage and 1 Shutout / Posing with Fall 2010 Goaltender MVP trophy)

Mike Gardner / #5 on Professor Thom's (Fall 2011 Tier 1 Regular Season Scoring Leader / 27 goals and 22 assists with 2 GWG / Trophy presented by MRHL Chairman Tom Smith)

Robert Benson / #9 on Van Diemens Bar (Fall 2011 Tier 2 Goaltender MVP / 3.40 GAA with an .850 Save Percentage / Trophy presented by MRHL Hockey Director Hank Livia)

NEW JERSEY DEVILS DISCOUNT TICKET OFFER

Ticket Cost: $38 (originally $61 tickets)

On Friday March 23^rd, 2012, the Montgomery High School Marching Band (Skillman, New Jersey) will be performing during the New Jersey Devils vs. Toronto Maple Leafs NHL hockey game at The Rock – The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. At last season’s February 4th, 2011 game between the New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers, the MHS Band was the first band ever to perform live for the Devils (the National Anthem and other pieces during selected play stoppages and intermissions throughout the game) per the two YouTube links provided below.  The MHS Band and the New Jersey Devils have partnered again to allow the band to perform live during the Friday March 23rd, 2012 game at 7:00PM against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bringing a large group allows the Devils to offer very attractive ticket prices. Tickets are available at a 35% savings from the regular price and the event is once again a fundraiser for the MHS Band Program.

Tickets can be ordered using the form at this link:

Montgomery High School Marching Band / Discount New Jersey Devils Tickets Order Form

Ticket Cost: $38 (originally $61 tickets)

All tickets in sections 101-107 and 116-124 at Prudential Center

Prudential Center Hockey Seating Chart

A portion of the price of each ticket sold goes directly to the MHS Band program.  Any questions can be sent via email to Joseph Giordano at jjg34icl@aol.com

Here are two YouTube videos showing the MHS Band playing at the February 4th, 2011 New Jersey Devils vs. Florida Panthers game:

Montgomery High School Marching Band Performing National Anthem at 2/4/11 New Jersey Devils vs. Florida Panthers game

Montgomery High School Marching Band – Full Performance at 2/4/11 New Jersey Devils vs. Florida Panthers game

NEW JERSEY DEVILS DISCOUNT TICKET OFFER

Ticket Cost: $38 (originally $61 tickets)

On Friday March 23^rd, 2012, the Montgomery High School Marching Band (Skillman, New Jersey) will be performing during the New Jersey Devils vs. Toronto Maple Leafs NHL hockey game at The Rock – The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.  At last season’s February 4th, 2011 game between the New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers, the MHS Band was the first band ever to perform live during a New Jersey Devils game. In addition to the National Anthem, they played songs like “The Impression That I Get”, “Gone Daddy Gone” “Low Rider” and many others during selected play stoppages and intermissions throughout the game (per the two YouTube links provided below).  Not only was this a great experience for the band, everyone in attendance had a great time out with family and friends, got to listen to the band playing live in front of a huge crowd and enjoyed the thrills, excitement and emotion of NHL hockey. 

The MHS Band and the New Jersey Devils have partnered again to allow the band to perform live during the Friday March 23rd, 2012 game at 7:00PM against the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Bringing a large group allows the Devils to offer very attractive ticket prices. Tickets are available at a 35% savings from the regular price and the event is once again a fundraiser for the MHS Band Program. 

Tickets can be ordered using the form at this link:

Montgomery High School Marching Band / Discount New Jersey Devils Tickets Order Form

Ticket Cost: $38 (originally $61 tickets)

All tickets in sections 101-107 and 116-124 at Prudential Center

Prudential Center Hockey Seating Chart

A portion of the price of each ticket sold goes directly to the MHS Band.  Not only will this will truly be a great night out, it will help earn money for the MHS Band program. 

Any questions can be sent via email to Joseph Giordano at jjg34icl@aol.com

Ticket order forms (checks made out to MHSBPA) can be mailed to:

MHSBPA

34 Ichabod Crane Lane

Belle Mead, NJ 08502

Here are two YouTube videos showing the MHS Band playing at the February 4th, 2011 New Jersey Devils vs. Florida Panthers game:

Montgomery High School Marching Band Performing National Anthem at 2/4/11 New Jersey Devils vs. Florida Panthers game

Montgomery High School Marching Band – Full Performance at 2/4/11 New Jersey Devils vs. Florida Panthers game

The Manhattan Roller Hockey League best-of-three Tier 1 / Empire Conference Championship Finals went to a third game with Games 2 and 3 played on Saturday December 10th, 2011.  After the #1 seed Professor Thom’s took Game 1 on Sunday December 4th with a 8-4 victory over #3 seed Buffalo Trace the BT squad rebounded to win Game 2 by a score of 4-2.  Professor Thom’s then won the deciding Game 3 by an 8-5 margin to take the championship.  The Tier 1 Playoffs Most Valuable Player award was presented to Thom’s captain Adam Root.  Some great photographs by Steve Zaitz from the Tier 1 Finals Games 2 and 3 are in the first album on the league’s Mediashare page.

Congratulations to the Professor Thom’s team for winning the Fall 2011 Tier 1 Championship.  This is the team’s fourth MRHL title after they won championships during the Summer 2007, Spring 2009 and Spring 2011 seasons.

MRHL FALL 2011 PLAYOFFS SCORING AND GOALTENDING STATISTICS: The scoring and goaltending statistics on the Fall 2011 Playoffs Scoring and Goaltending Statistics page are current as of the Tier 1 Finals Game 2 and 3 contests played on Saturday December 10th.

MRHL GAME VIDEOS ON YouTube AND VIMEO: There are now 53 videos on YouTube featuring MRHL games going back to the Fall 2009 season. Almost every game from the Semifinals and Finals of the current Fall 2011 championship playoffs is on the MRHL YouTube Playlist, including RefCam videos from the Tier 1 Buffalo Trace vs. Professor Thom’s Finals Game 1, the Tier 1 adMarketplace vs. Professor Thom’s Semifinals, and the Tier 2 Soldier McGee Tavern vs. Van Diemens Bar Semifinals. The camera for the Soldier McGee / Van Diemens game, the first trial of the RefCam, was tilted so it’s not an easy watch – maybe a book under one side of your screen would help (kidding). Special thanks to the MRHL referees Matt Cleary, Bill Marshall and Bryan Noble for wearing these cameras and providing game videos shot from a unique and close-up perspective.

If the 53 videos on YouTube are not enough for you there are also 39 videos on the MRHL Vimeo Channel including great behind-the-net GoalieCams featuring goaltenders Ron Lopez of the East End Terriers and Adam Blitzer (then playing for Brother Jimmy’s BBQ) during a Spring 2010 Semifinals game. There’s also an interesting HelmetCam video, shot from a camera attached to Special Delivery goaltender Mike Hauptman’s helmet, from the Fall 2010 MRHL All-Star Game.

GoalieCam on East End Terriers’ Spring 2010 Semifinals goaltender Ron Lopez

GoalieCam on Brother Jimmy’s Spring 2010 Semifinals goaltender Adam Blitzer

HelmetCam worn by goaltender Mike Hauptman during the Fall 2010 MRHL All-Star Game (skip ahead to the 2:00 mark if you don’t want to hear Buffalo Trace Captain Chris Pelka and MRHL Founder Mark Barbour arguing over getting a team picture taken)

The Manhattan Roller Hockey League Tier 1 / Empire Conference Championship Finals will resume on Saturday December 10th, 2011.  Game 2 of the best-of-three series between the #1 seed Professor Thom’s and the #3 seed Buffalo Trace teams will begin at 9:00AM and Game 3, if necessary, will start around 10:30AM once both teams have had a rest break.  The presentation of the MRHL Champions Cup and Fall 2011 Tier 1 Playoffs Most Valuable Player award will immediately follow the deciding game.

Professor Thom’s took Game 1 on Sunday December 4th when they defeated Buffalo Trace by a score of 8-4.  After jumping out to a 5-0 lead halfway through Game 1 Professor Thom’s faced a resurgent Buffalo Trace comeback that brought the score to 5-4 with eight and a half minutes left in the third period.  Dan Glaser’s shot from well outside the blue line gave Professor Thom’s a more comfortable two goal lead and his teammates knocked in two more for the 8-4 victory in Game 1.

Please join us for the Fall 2011 Tier 1 Championship Finals at our rink (located at 96th Street and First Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan) and watch two great teams battle it out for the league trophy in the season finale. 

MRHL FALL 2011 PLAYOFFS SCORING AND GOALTENDING STATISTICS:  Except for the Tier 2 goaltending statistics everything on the Fall 2011 Playoffs Scoring and Goaltending Statistics page is current as of the games played on Sunday December 4th.  The Tier 2 goalie stats are as of the Opening Round games played on Sunday November 20th.  They will be updated soon.

MRHL GAME VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE AND VIMEO:  There are now 53 videos on YouTube featuring MRHL games going back to the Fall 2009 season.  Almost every game from the Semifinals and Finals of the current Fall 2011 championship playoffs is on the MRHL YouTube Playlist, including RefCam videos from the Tier 1 Buffalo Trace vs. Professor Thom’s Finals Game 1, the Tier 1 adMarketplace vs. Professor Thom’s Semifinals, and the Tier 2 Soldier McGee Tavern vs. Van Diemens Bar Semifinals.  The camera for the Soldier McGee / Van Diemens game, the first trial of the RefCam, was tilted so it’s not an easy watch – maybe a book under one side of your screen would help (kidding).  Special thanks to the MRHL referees Matt Cleary, Bill Marshall and Bryan Noble for wearing these cameras and providing game videos shot from a unique and close-up perspective. 

The two June 13, 2010 GoalieCam videos on this playlist, featuring Marc Scheuer of Professor Thom’s and Eric Gallion of AXA Advisors during the Spring 2010 Championship Finals, are also worth seeing:

GoalieCam on AXA Advisors Spring 2010 Finals goaltender Eric Gallion

GoalieCam on Professor Thom’s Spring 2010 Finals goaltender Marc Scheur

If the 53 videos on YouTube are not enough for you there are also 39 videos on the MRHL Vimeo Channel including great behind-the-net GoalieCams featuring goaltenders Ron Lopez of the East End Terriers and Adam Blitzer (then playing for Brother Jimmy’s BBQ) during a Spring 2010 Semifinals game.  There’s also an interesting HelmetCam video, shot from a camera attached to Special Delivery goaltender Mike Hauptman’s helmet, from the Fall 2010 MRHL All-Star Game.

GoalieCam on East End Terriers’ Spring 2010 Semifinals goaltender Ron Lopez

GoalieCam on Brother Jimmy’s Spring 2010 Semifinals goaltender Adam Blitzer

HelmetCam worn by goaltender Mike Hauptman during the Fall 2010 MRHL All-Star Game  (skip ahead to the 2:00 mark if you don’t want to hear Buffalo Trace Captain Chris Pelka and MRHL Founder Mark Barbour arguing over getting a team picture taken)

In Game 2 of the Tier 2 Finals Special Delivery goaltender and captain Mike Hauptman continued his wily ways in net after stopping 20 of 21 shots in the first game.  Hauptman turned away all of Soldier McGee’s 28 attempts in Game 2 to pitch a 4-0 shutout and lead his team to the Tier 2 MRHL Championship.  Special Delivery player Stephen Gaon was credited with the Game 2 game-winning goal and Mike Hauptman was named the Tier 2 Playoffs’ Most Valuable Player.

Congratulations to Captain Mike Hauptman and his Special Delivery teammates for winning the Fall 2011 MRHL Tier 2 championship.  YouTube videos from the deciding Game 2 are available at the links below.

First Period of Special Delivery vs. Soldier McGee Tavern Tier 2 Finals Game 2

Second Period of Special Delivery vs. Soldier McGee Tavern Tier 2 Finals Game 2  (features a nice short-handed goal by #24 Chase Sandler at 5:35 into this clip)

Third Period of Special Delivery vs. Soldier McGee Tavern Tier 2 Finals Game 2 / Handshakes / Trophy Presentation

Over in the Tier 1  / Empire Conference the #2 seed AXA Advisors and #3 seed Buffalo Trace teams met for a Sunday December 4th Semifinals game at 11:00AM.  While the Shots On Goal were almost even for this game (26 taken by Buffalo Trace and 25 taken by AXA Advisors), the BT snipers were much more accurate as their team won by a 9  to 3 victory. Seth Rubin was credited with the game-winning goal as Buffalo Trace advanced to the Finals and a 1:00PM game against the #1 seed Professor Thoms’.

The Tracers, after resting while the Tier 2 deciding game was played, started out poorly against a dominating Professor Thoms’ team.  Buffalo Trace found themselves at a 5-0 disadvantage halfway through the game and the PT unit and their skipper Adam Root seemed to be cruising to an easy Game 1 victory.  Captain Chris Pelka somehow kept his Buffalo Trace teammates from getting disspirited as they rallied for four straight goals to close the second period down by a score of 5-3 and then kept the score at 5-4 until Professor Thoms’ Dan Glaser blasted home a shot with 6:27 left in the third.  Professor Thom’s added two more goals to win Game 1 by the score of 8 to 4.  Scott Lebwohl was credited with the game-winning goal.

Game 2 of the Tier 1 Finals between Buffalo Trace and Professor Thoms’ will be played at 9:00AM on Saturday December 10th.  Game 3 will be played at 10:30AM if the series goes to a rubber match.

Provided below are YouTube links to video of the Tier 1 Finals Game 1 played on Sunday December 4th.  The first two feature the return of the MRHL RefCam as official Bill Marshall wore a camera while working the game.  These RefCams don’t capture every shot and goal but they do provide an up-close look at the players as they battle up and down the rink.

RefCam of Professor Thoms vs. Buffalo Trace Tier 1 Finals Game 1 – First Period

RefCam of Professor Thoms vs. Buffalo Trace Tier 1 Finals Game 1 – Third Period

First Period of Professor Thoms’ vs. Buffalo Trace Finals Game 1 (Part 1 of 2)

First Period of Professor Thoms’ vs. Buffalo Trace Finals Game 1 (Part 2 of 2)

Second Period of Professor Thoms’ vs. Buffalo Trace Finals Game 1

Third Period of Professor Thoms’ vs. Buffalo Trace Finals Game 1

The Tier 2 semifinal contest between the #1 seed Special Delivery and #4 seed Debevoise Plimpton looked over early as Special Delivery had a 5-0 lead halfway through the game.  Debevoise came charging back to close the gap to 5-2 at the end of the second period and wound up losing the game by a respectable 6-4 margin.  YouTube video from the third period of this game is available at the two links provided below.

Special Delivery vs. Debevoise Plimpton 12/3/11 Tier 2 Semifinal – Third Period (1 of 2)

Special Delivery vs. Debevoise Plimpton 12/3/11 Tier 2 Semifinal – Third Period (2 of 2)

The Tier 2 semifinal game between #2 seed Van Diemens Bar and #3 seed Soldier McGee Tavern was a much closer match right from the first puck drop.  The game stayed tight right up until the Soldiers scored an empty net goal with ten seconds left to seal the 4-2 victory.

Video from this game is available at the three YouTube links provided below.

Soldier McGee Tavern vs. Van Diemens Bar 12/3/11 Tier 2 Semifinal – First Period

Soldier McGee Tavern vs. Van Diemens Bar 12/3/11 Tier 2 Semifinal – Second Period

Soldier McGee Tavern vs. Van Diemens Bar 12/3/11 Tier 2 Semifinal – Third Period

The #5 seed adMarketplace team had a tough time against the top-seeded Professor Thoms’ in their Tier 1 Semifinals game as a few of adMarketplace’s best scorers could not make the game and Thoms’ had all hands on deck.  Professor Thoms’ cruised to a 13-5 victory and advanced to the Finals against the winner of the AXA Advisors vs. Buffalo Trace Semifinal.

MRHL RefCam:  Manhattan Roller Hockey League Referee Bryan Noble wore a camera for the first two periods of the Professor Thoms. vs. adMarketplace game.  The video from this camera can be seen at the two YouTube links provided below.

RefCam of 12/3/11 Professor Thoms. vs. adMarketplace Semifinal First Period 

RefCam of 12/3/11 Professor Thoms. vs. adMarketplace Semifinal Second Period

TIER 1 / EMPIRE CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS

Semifinals / Saturday December 3rd

3:00PM    #1 seed Professor Thoms’ (13) over #5 seed adMarketplace (5)

Semifinals / Sunday December 4th

 11:00AM    #2 seed AXA Advisors vs. #3 seed Buffalo Trace

Finals / Sunday December 4th

  1:00PM    Game 1 Professor Thom’s vs. winner of AXA Advisors vs. Buffalo Trace Semifinals game

Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 3 of the Tier 1 Finals series will be played the weekend of December 10th and 11th at dates and times to be determined

TIER 2 / LIBERTY CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS

Semifinals / Saturday December 3rd

10:00AM    #1 seed Special Delivery (6) over #4 seed Debevoise Plimpton (4)

11:00AM    #3 seed Soldier McGee Tavern (4) over #2 seed Van Diemens Bar (2)

Finals / Sunday December 4th

10:00AM    Game 1   Special Delivery (home) vs. Soldier McGee Tavern (away)

12:00PM    Game 2    Soldier McGee Tavern (home) vs. Special Delivery (away)

In the Tier 1 Empire Conference all four teams in the Semifinals were past champions of the Manhattan Roller Hockey League.  Captain Adam Root and the #1 seed Professor Thoms’ won the inaugural Summer 2007 championship when they were known as Organic Near You.  Their Finals exploits against the Tequila Jack’s squad (now known as Buffalo Trace) were filmed for an episode of a SNY television series called “Street Games”.  The Professor Thoms’ team made a habit of appearing in league championship finals with victories in both the Spring 2009 and Spring 2011 campaigns and losses to the East End Terriers in the Fall 2009 series and to AXA Advisors in the Spring of 2010.  Professor Thoms’ had the top Empire Conference scorer Mike Gardner (27 goals and 22 assists) during the Fall 2011 regular season with Mike Pelliccione close behind in third place on the scoring list with 12 goals and 21 assists.

Captained by Ross Ginsberg and Evan Machowsky the #2 seed AXA Advisors team won back-to-back titles when they beat Professor Thoms’ in two games straight for the Spring 2010 crown and then edged Brother Jimmys BBQ (now Buffalo Trace) in a Game 3 overtime to win the Fall 2010 championship.  Ryan Farrell and Rob Gallion are the top scorers on this team while Rob’s brother Eric patrols the net as goaltender.

The #3 seed Buffalo Trace team and their Captain Chris Pelka have a long history playing in MRHL championship finals games.  After their Summer 2007 loss they rebounded to win the Fall 2007 title by defeating the Tornadoes (now known as Special Delivery).  That season’s championship was decided in one Saturday game instead of a best-of-three series because a snowstorm hit New York City on Sunday December 16th, 2007.  Playing as Westside Skate, the team won the Spring 2008 championship over a brand new but powerful PwC team with a 5-4 overtime victory in Game 3.  They also went to the Finals in the Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 seasons.  The Buffalo Trace goaltender Anthony Dascal led the Empire Conference with his 3.60 Goals Against Average over the ten game Fall 2011 regular season.  Chris Moreira and Seth Rubin lead the offensive charge for the team.

The #5 seed adMarketplace team has only been to the Finals once but they made it count.  Playing as an original MRHL team known as the Sharkz, they won the Fall 2008 championship in two straight games against NYU MED (now known as Van Diemens Bar).  The adMarketplace forward Rob Oram is #4 on the All-Time MRHL Scorers list with 189 points.  Captain Anthony Tsigourakos and forwards Jeff Grabowski and Andrew Brodsky, two of the team’s other top scorers, are among the alumni of the DI Rutgers University Scarlet Knights roller hockey team playing with adMarketplace.

Special Delivery won the #1 seed in the Tier 2 playoffs with an 8 and 2 record fueled by the 3.20 Goals Against Average turned in by Captain and goaltender Mike Hauptman.  Their skaters also scored 62 goals in ten regular season games while #24 Chase Sandler compiled 25 points to lead the Liberty Conference.  The team’s previous MRHL Finals appearance was a loss to the Westside Skate team (now Buffalo Trace) during the Fall 2007 season.

The #2 seed Van Diemens Bar unit has been with the Manhattan Roller Hockey League since they joined as the NYU MED team during the league’s sophomore Fall 2007 season.  

The team was featured in an October 2008 New York Times article when their roster of doctors, specialists and medical students played the accountants of the PricewaterhouseCoopers team.  Co-captains Michael Bagliebter and Joseph Tella led Van Diemens to a 6-2-1-1 record during the Fall 2011 Regular Season.  Their goalie Rob Benson turned in an excellent 3.40 Goals Against Average which put him at #19 on the Top 30 Regular Season Goaltending Performances list.

Captain Joe Damanti and the #3 seed Soldier McGee Tavern team signed up with the MRHL for the Spring 2008 season when they played as Heartland Brewery.  Their top scorers during the Fall 2011 Regular Season were Ben Weaver, Taylor Levy and Anthony Jannetta.  The Heartland Brewery / Soldier McGee Tavern team has made the playoffs six out of the eight seasons they have been with the MRHL.

Captain Jon Lubin and Assistant Captain Brad Yale have piloted the #4 seed Debevoise Plimpton team to a  5-4-0-1 record during the Fall 2011 session.  Goalie Peter Clarke had an outstanding regular season as evidenced by his 3.40 Goals Against Average and placement at #17 on the Top 30 Regular Season Goaltending Performances list.  The Debevoise Plimpton team advanced to the Semifinals during the Spring 2011 playoffs and the Opening Round of the Spring 2010 and Fall 2010 playoffs.

The Top 30 All-Time MRHL Scorers and Top 30 Regular Season Goaltending Performances lists have been updated and revised by the addition of the Fall 2011 statistics.  The new additions to the All-Time Regular Season scorers list are Martin Angert of Special Delivery at #20, David Baxter of PwC at #22, Dan Glaser of Professor Thoms’ at #23, Mike Gardner of Professor Thoms’  at #24,  and Peter Clock of the East End Terriers who wound up at #30 on the list.

Mike Friedman, #15 on the East End Terriers (shown above scoring during a game against Rathbones Pub on 11/19/11), remained at the #1 spot on the all-time scorer’s list with his 188 goals and 122 assists for a total of 310 points going back to the inaugural MRHL Summer 2007 season.  Adam Root, captain of the Tier 1 defending championship Professor Thoms’ team, remained in second place with his 103 goals and 138 assists for 241 Regular Season points.

New additions to the list of All-Time MRHL Regular Season Goaltending Performances include Mike Hauptman of Special Delivery (coming in at #12 with a Goals Against Average of 3.20 and a Save Percentage of .849) and Peter Clarke of Debevoise Plimpton (3.40 GAA and .852 Save Percentage) who was added at #17.  The Van Diemens Bar goaltender Robert Benson took the #19 spot with a 3.40 GAA and a Save Percenteage of .850 and Anthony Dascal of the Tier 1 team Buffalo Trace wound up at #27 with a 3.60 GAA and an .854 Save Percentage.  Marc Mezzacca of the Markit Maniacs (pictured below facing a shot from Jason Kreiner of Van Diemens Bar during a 11/19/11 game) came in at #29 on the list with a 3.70 GAA and a Save Percentage of .867.

First place on this All Time Goaltenders list goes to a goalie named Joseph Held who played for the PwC team during the fourth MRHL season.  Held finished the Fall 2008 Regular Season with an .871 Save Percentage (142 saves against 163 shots on goal) and an incredible 2.10 Goals Against Average.

Congratulations to all of the Fall 2011 players noted above for this recognition of their achievements so far in the Manhattan Roller Hockey League.