Flames Pee Wee Major 2012-2013 Recap

First, I want to thank everyone inside and outside of our team and the Flames organization for all of the support, feedback, comments, and encouragement I have received throughout this season. You all have been an inspiration to me as I sit at the keyboard and contemplate the hours of recalling games, perusing my chicken-scratch stats, and trying to tell a story while occasionally subjecting us all to scrutiny. It would be difficult to assess just how many hours I have spent in this space; I am guessing an average of three hours per game, not including the actual game time. This section of my blog has been sincere, serious, and called like I see things. Objective perspective is a goal I work at maintaining, while relaying this perspective to anyone who might read any of these words. Again, I thank you all.

In recapping the Flames Pee Wee Major 2012-13 Season, I think back to last August and the heat of summer afternoons. Then, I tried to remember the names of the new people I met, and also which player they represented, or vice versa. Admittedly, due to a major lack of focus on my part, it took me months to remember the names and make the connections. I distinctly recall my hopes and anxiety’s, the same ones I feel whenever entering a new season. Even as a non-coaching, slightly involved, parent, I am still very much a kid; an optimistic kid on the inside. I hope, because I want to see the good in everything, for the bigger, rosy picture where everything works perfectly; the combination of coaches, players, parents, and families, all clicking together; all of us, having a blast. We watch our kids play the game they love while developing skills and building confidence. Wins and losses pile up, and character is built, as lessons are taught, and lessons are learned. Boys and girls playing a game, learning some of life’s lessons within the framework of athletics, and morphing before our very eyes into decent, respecting, young men and women. Then the wind howls outside and a loose twig is hurled across the line of my far off stare, jolted back to now, and I’m sitting at my desk writing an honest recap of another youth hockey season gone by.

Seven months and sixty-five games later the picture isn’t as rosy as I had pictured, or hoped it would be while sitting in the shade of a massive pine tree on the edge of Livingston Park last August. It’s not a bad picture though either. Sixty-five games. Wow. These kids played a lot of hockey. They played through thousands of scenarios and situations. They gathered experience on the ice by the bucket load. While there were ups and downs, on and off of the ice, this team kept playing and battling all season long.

Throughout the long season, while playing in the Granite State Hockey League and in the Mass Select League, the Flames also managed to play in some tournaments. This year was different from recent years, where the team improved throughout the season, and the Flames beat teams the second time around, even after losing to them earlier. In addition, the team didn’t give up in games, save the game against Cardigan Mountain, and despite many slow starts, the team played hard all game.

In Granite State play, the Flames started the season 1-5 and a playoff spot (earned by the top 6 finishers) looked very unlikely. Then this Flames team did what it started to be known for, it battled, didn’t panic, and played through it. The Flames finished the regular season going 9-3-2 down the stretch and earned a 5^th seed in the playoffs. The playoffs proved difficult as the Flames lost one game and tied their second game and didn’t advance to the final four.

In Mass Select play, the Flames went 19-5-1 and earned the top-seed in the final four playoffs. In an epic, 4-Overtime game, the Flames lost 5-4 in the semifinal. This game really was one for the ages as the teams combined for 80 shots on goal in more than 64 minutes of game time. The Flames weren’t meant to win that game as they missed an open net three different times in overtime and hadn’t allowed an opponents’ shot in more than 10 minutes before surrendering the heart-breaking goal. It was a tough loss, and a somewhat disappointing finish to a great run through the season.

All in all, the team played 65 games. They were on the ice all the time. The Flames won their fair share of games, with a record of 37-24-4 overall. The team scored 210 goals while only allowing 158 goals. A credit to the teams’ staying power and total effort, the Flames scored 75 goals (more than in any other period) in the 3^rd period of games, while allowing 51 in 3^rd periods. That’s a +24 with games on the line.

If there was a shortcoming among this club, it was in the area of team discipline, on and off the ice. The team took some time to gel, a lot of time. Some of the team members may not have really cleared the hurdle of understanding the team concept completely. Understanding that these are 11 and 12-year-old kids is certainly a factor, and there were more than a few teachable moments in the last 7+ months. The team took 500 minutes in penalties, which was roughly equal to 19% of the time that a score clock was keeping time that the Flames had someone serving time. That was just disciplinary time issued by officials in actual games. Beyond that, there were altercations within the framework of team, on the ice, on the bench, and in the room. There were kids who pointed fingers at the kids that lost their cool; all the while they pushed buttons just to see if a teammate would take the bait and erupt. Guess what, they’re all wrong. And they’re all missing the point if that’s the case. Time and space provided to kids this age invites poor decision-making and amusement for some at the cost of understanding fully what team really is. To me, this was the most unfortunate part of the entire season. In large part, it’s unfortunate because it’s almost completely avoidable, if not an opportunity to make a positive difference in a kid’s life; a kid that’s going to reach adulthood with, or without, the sport of hockey. We were all kids once, and we all learned lessons along the way, from a myriad of different people playing different roles in our lives. Besides some hockey “x’s and o’s”, I am concerned as to what the overall “takeaway” will be from this season. Maybe it’s just me. Now, to the positives.

Goaltending: Wow! Keenan Alnahas and Anders Lindberg were a combination that worked together better than could have been scripted. Almost on cue, when one was not having a banner day (which wasn’t often), the other was awesome, and vice-versa. We were fortunate to witness a display of tandem goaltending at the level we saw this season. Fantastic effort and results were put forth by both young men. They combined to win 37 games, earn 9 shutouts, and both recorded Goals Against Averages (GAA) under 2.50. Amazing stuff. In issuing wins and losses on the stat sheets, I had to give credit to the goaltenders based on what part of the game they played in and that didn’t always mean the goalie with the best numbers that day earned the win, or suffered the loss when playing below their standard. So, in a nutshell, the team numbers of 37 wins, and their combined GAA of 2.39 speaks volumes to the performance of these two all season. There weren’t many, if any times, no matter where the Flames were playing, that I felt we were over-matched between the pipes. Best wishes to the two of you going forward. You were fantastic.

Goal scoring and offense: The Flames averaged 3.23 goals per game on the offensive side. I think that’s pretty good. Considering the average Flames game this season was 40 minutes and 30 seconds (7.69 minutes of that time we had someone in the box) of playing time, that’s a pretty good amount of goals, especially when the team defended the way it did. To be honest, the Flames weren’t the best puck-moving, passing team that ever came along. They did improve and they made a lot of plays when it mattered most. The Flames had seven different players score 10 or more goals this season. Sam Hebert (68g-31a-99pts), a truly gifted player, who has spent thousands of hours already on his game, scored a team-leading 68 goals in 64 games played. He also ended up with 99 total points on the season. Sensational effort Sam! Zachary Bayer (47g-26a-73pts) scored 47 goals and led the team in goal scoring during Granite State games. Once he recovered from his foot injury he went to another gear and became a scoring source the team could count on. Wil Hebert (21g-27a-48pts) played up a level this year and found the back of the net 21 times; in addition, he looked to move the puck and also had 27 assists. Sean Moore (17g-19a-36pts) started the season slowly and gained momentum as he played more and more. He ended up with 17 goals and 19 assists and started to be a presence again, at the front of the net. Jackson Puzzo (16g-18a-34pts) had moments when he showed his skill level and nose for getting to the puck. He scored 16 goals and had 34 points. Sebastian Beal (11g-35a-46pts) split time this season on offense and defense, and was able to score 11 goals while dishing out a team-leading 35 assists, for 46 points. Patrick Goren (10g-28a-38pts) was permanently moved to defense during the season and still scored 10 goals and dished out 28 assists. He could be counted on to get back and break up a play while always looking to make a pass. Christian Levesque (2g-9a-11pts) played wing and improved as the season went on. His shots on goal amounts steadily climbed as the season went along, giving defenders another player to have to defend. Kyle O’Flaherty (2g-6a-8pts) worked hard on his skating ability and raised his level of intensity on a weekly basis. Kyle wasn’t afraid to get in a shooting lane or force a defender to make an errant pass coming out of their own end of the ice. His efforts didn’t always show up on the score sheet but they should be noticed and applauded.

Defense: On defense there were always a couple of players to look for. Ashlie Killen (0g-15a-15pts) could be counted on not to give up on a play. She became better at making decisions to either pinch in or retreat at the right times. She also added some dazzle to her game with some stick handling prowess displayed toward the end of the season. Last, but not least, Ashlie wasn’t afraid to get in anyone’s grill, defend a teammate, or protect her goaltenders. Then there was Ryan Douthart (7g-9a-16pts) who also was moved back on defense during the year. To be honest, I wondered if Ryan was playing at the right level back in September. That’s not a knock, it was a lack of my familiarity with him as a player, and an under estimation of his drive and determination. He got better each week and with skills improving, his confidence grew, and his contributions on the ice were evident. Ryan disrupted opponents’ break out plays and never seemed to panic even if he had to chase someone down with a poke check. Finally, I write about the kid that several teammates would have called “captain” were one elected. If I had to name a player MVP of the team this season, it would be hard not to cast my vote for Brendan Courtney (8g-19a-27pts). With his poise, his decision-making ability, his skill set, and that tremendous reach of his, he was a formidable foe for any offensive threat to measure themselves against. I hear a lot of people talk about these things when talking about Brendan, and I honestly don’t know that he gets enough credit for his skating ability, his passing ability, and his ability to handle the puck. He would be one of the best forwards on the team if he were returned to that role he has played in the past.

Folks, the Flames played a lot of hockey this season. The families drove thousands of miles to get kids to the right places at the right time. So many parents were willing, able, and did help others on the team with rides, gear, scheduling conflicts, carpooling, etc. Thank you all for all of the patience shown and all of the help that came our way this season. We are truly thankful and in your debt. It wouldn’t be proper to get through more than 2,000 words and not thank the coaches of the Flames team this season. Coach Mike, Coach Phil, Coach Eric, and Coach Chad all gave of their time, their talents, and their vast experiences with the common goal of instilling some of their acquired knowledge in our kids. We can all be guilty of second-guessing decisions and questioning strategies, but then there are usually only a few that actually step over that line and willingly take on the role of coaching. They give of their time for the betterment of others. I hope these coaches feel a sense of reward in what was given back to them this season. I know these kids played hard, played to the end, and entered every contest with the desire to compete and win. For some of the kids, they have given multiple seasons to several of these teammates and members of the coaching staff, and for that, I truly hope the coaches understand how special that reciprocation really is. As a long time coach myself, in other sports, I know that the best thing about the role of coach was what was in it for the kids. In my book, it’s all about the kids, and it always should be. For, even when we grow through the years of adulthood, our favorite moments are often spent escaping for a time to the kid in all of us. Thus, my longest post of the season ends in recapping, quickly, a season that started last August. To all of you, thank you again, and best wishes to the kids and families we spent so much time with this season; brought together by a kids game. This space, afforded by this group, I am thankful for, and I am honored to have been able to share perspectives, descriptions, and measurements with you all. Thank you.

Flames Pee Wee Major 2012-2013 Stats