February 26-27

Saturday morning in Quarryville for a visit and lunch, the rest of the day was quiet. On Sunday Jenny and Helen were along for a full day of hockey at the Sovereign Center. The first order of business was the annual benefit game between the Reading Police and Fire Departments. We call it the Battle Of The Badges, it was started in 2006 and over the years it has been very well-received. The Fire Department fell behind 2-0, rallied back to tie and eventually prevailed via shootout 3-2. The game started at 1:00 and was over shortly after 2:30, the Royals' game followed at 4:05 (a special start time, Sunday home games are usually at 5:05). After a tough loss in Elmira on Saturday night the boys hosted the Gwinnett Gladiators (from Duluth, Georgia) and came out on the wrong end of a 6-4 decision. Ryan Donald, Yannick Riendeau, Jared Ross and Rob Kwiet scored for the Royals, Matt Dalton took the loss in goal. A crowd of better than 5100 in attendance, many of them were there for the BOB game as well. The club will play in Cincinnati on Wednesday and Toledo on Thursday, they return home on Saturday the 5th as the Wheeling Nailers come to town for a two-game set. With the end of high school basketball this week figures to be otherwise uneventful. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 24-25

The Thursday newspaper carried a story about the basketball game at Reading HS on Wednesday night, the season ended for JPM with a 75-66 loss. The final record: 17-11 although I will maintain that it's really 17-10-1 thanks to that nonsense in Harrisburg back in December (and don't even ask me about Cocalico in January). In nineteen years as head coach Steve Powell's mark stands at 350-171. As usual the season was the roller-coaster ride we seem to have every year, there are high school programs in our area that would crumble if they ever had to deal with what JPM does. It just makes the club's success all the sweeter and this year was a wonderful example. After fifteen games we were 7-8 and people wrote the team off. The boys won six of their next seven to force a tie for a section title that was seemingly in the hip pocket of another team, a victory in the tie-breaker game won the championship that nobody outside of JPM thought possible. The club met that same team again for the league title and lost but there was no shame in that because nobody thought JPM would be there to begin with. We lose three seniors but there were twelve players on the season-ending roster eligible to return so perhaps this year is a harbinger of better times ahead. For the record Diante Cherry led the club in totals points (418) and average per game (14.9), Brian Newsome and Luis Fuentes also averaged in double figures. Cherry, Calvert Gantz and Blaise Glover were the only players in appear in every game. I noted the results of the other games and that Harrisburg had lost as well, there's a delicious slice of irony to that (after what happened up there in December I guess it shows that in the long run cheaters don't benefit). On Thursday I had lunch with Jenny at the pizza parlor in Quarryville, later in the day rain moved into the area. With temperatures staying well above freezing the snow is melting down, let's keep it that way. Stopped by the school after lunch on Friday to drop off the scorebook and final stats at the athletic office. Not much else on the schedule until Sunday in Reading, it's the annual "Battle Of The Badges" game followed by the Royals hosting Gwinnett. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 21-23

The unusually warm temperatures we had recently helped to melt the leftover snow from late January, that was a good thing as it made room for the new snow that fell on Monday evening into Tuesday. This snowfall was very light and powdery, clearing and moving the cars on Tuesday morning was no issue at all. With brilliant sunshine on Tuesday and Wednesday the worst of it melted down in good order. On Wednesday evening Jenny and I were at the Sovereign Center, the Trenton Devils were the opponent. On this night there was little doubt as to the outcome, the Royals were in control from the word Go as they scored three goals in the first nine minutes and won it 6-3. Matt Caruana returned from AHL Toronto and scored two goals as Dale Mitchell (on assignment from the Marlies) also scored twice in his Royals debut, Jared Ross and Olivier Labelle lit the lamp as well. It was a night for newcomers as Bobby Jarosz picked up the win in his first appearance with the club. Jarosz joined the team earlier this week, he is the sixth goaltender to appear in a game for the Royals this season. Matt Dalton, Michael Hutchinson and Adam Courchaine from the Boston organization, Ben Scrivens from the Maple Leafs and ECHL-contracted Zane Kalemba have all manned the position as well. We've had several other men in uniform on an emergency basis but none of them saw game action. Such is life in the ECHL. The Royals play in Elmira on Saturday the 26th, on Sunday the Gwinnett Gladiators visit for the only time this season. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 20

Good news in the morning paper, the young men of JPM kept their season alive on Saturday night with a 68-49 win over Muhlenburg. This advances them to a game on Wednesday the 23rd against Reading HS, as the higher seed the game will be on RHS's home floor. That's something new for the district tournament, in the past all games after the prelim round were at neutral sites. We played Reading back in December and lost by 22 points but that means little at this point. It's another one-and-done scenario, win and go on or lose and go home. For what it's worth I also saw where Hempfield's season ended abruptly with a loss in their prelim game on Saturday. It's like that old expression, "one day you're on top, the next day the FBI can't find you". On Sunday afternoon I was on the road north (by myself this time) as the Elmira Jackals visited the Sovereign Center. The Royals scored three goals in the first period and never looked back as they racked up a 5-2 win. After losing the first two meetings with Elmira at home this season the Royals have won the last four. Ben Gordon, Ryan Cruthers, Olivier Labelle, Chris Blight and Andrew Sarauer were the goal-scorers, Matt Dalton won his third game of the weekend in net. The Royals play next at home on Wednesday the 23rd against Trenton. Just to show how unfair life can be-on that night the JPM boys will be in Reading and so will I, the only problem is we'll be at different games in different venues. A win at RHS would advance the club to a quarterfinal round game on the 26th (which I would be good for), a loss would wrap things up for the season. As it stands right now Wednesday night is the next major event on the calendar. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 19

It's been uncommonly warm the last few days, according to the newspaper it hit 73 degrees on Friday afternoon. All the better to melt down those old dirty piles of snow still around from late January. On Saturday it turned cold with strong winds. In the morning we were in Quarryville as usual for lunch at the shopping plaza, in the evening Jenny and Helen were along for the Royals game at the Sovereign Center. This was our annual "Pink In The Rink" breast cancer awareness fundraiser, Helen is a survivor so it's a cause she's familiar with. The Royals defeated the Wheeling Nailers on the road on Friday, this was the back end of the home-and-home set. This game was eerily similar to the last time the Nailers visited Reading, on that night Ryan Cruthers scored a late tie-breaking goal and added an empty-netter to seal a win. This time it was Chris Blight's turn to be the hero as his late score broke a 1-1 tie and his empty-net goal iced a 3-1 Royals victory. Todd Perry also scored in support of winning goaltender Matt Dalton. On Friday Dalton returned to the Royals when the Boston Bruins reassigned Michael Hutchinson to AHL Providence, he was making his first appearance at the Sovereign Center since before the New Year. As is the custom on PITR night the Royals wore special jerseys which were auctioned after the game, many in the crowd of better than 6500 stayed for the bidding. The Royals are at home on Sunday the 20th as the Elmira Jackals visit for the first time since December. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 17-18

Jenny was in Willow Street for an appointment on Thursday morning, we had lunch in Quarryville afterward. Not much else happening until Friday evening when we headed to Neffsville for the League Championship game. After seven straight wins the magic was not there on this night as JPM lost 61-53, it was a two-point game into the last minute before Hempfield pulled away for the win. One gets the idea that if those two teams played each other one hundred times they would each win fifty, it's just that close. On February 9 and 11 it was our night, on February 18 it was theirs. For our kids there is nothing to be ashamed of, the fact that they fought back to win the division and play for the league title is testimony to their heart and desire. Look at it this way: on January 22 everyone figured Hempfield would be in the title game as division champion, at the same time we were 7-8 and being written off by everyone who didn't know better. With league playoffs in the record book the attention now turns to the district tournament, for the third straight year we are involved in a preliminary round game. As the #15 seed we will host Muhlenburg HS (from suburban Reading) on Saturday the 19th at 7:00. That leaves me out of it since the Royals are at home that night not to mention the quick turnaround for a team that has already played three games this week. If the boys can get it done they'll play again on Wednesday the 23rd, a loss will end the season. I guess we'll know soon enough. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 15-16

Tuesday morning at the health campus for a followup on the procedure I had last April. The doctor was happy with everything, there are no issues. Not much going the rest of the day, on Wednesday afternoon we were back at JPM for the trip to Elizabethtown. After three straight battle-to-the-end games this night was tame by comparison as we defeated Lampeter-Strasburg 60-48. I wouldn't say it was an easy win (L-S is a good team and they fought to the end) but it was nowhere nearly as harrowing as the last few games were. Brian Newsome had 21 points, Diante Cherry had 13 and Blaise Glover added nine key points in a reserve role. This was a big win in two ways, it puts us into the League Championship game for the first time since 2008 and for Coach Powell it was career win #349 to establish a new school record. The L-L started in 1972, that coincided with Pete Horn's first year as McCaskey's basketball coach. In twenty seasons Pete's teams went 348-166, upon his retirement Steve "Bird" Powell took the reins. Now in his nineteenth season, Coach Powell's mark stands at 349-169. It's amazing to think that in thirty-nine years the program has had only two head coaches, Coach Powell was a long-time assistant coach under Pete so he was hardly a stranger when he took over the top spot. Credit must also be given to assistant coaches Mike Mitchell, Willie McDowell, Al Taylor, Don Butler and Earl "Papa" Boots, their contributions to the operation are immeasurable and invaluable. Shortly after the game ended we got word on who won the other semifinal game. I suppose we all knew that the playoff game for the division title was merely prologue for the league's title game. On Friday the 18th we'll meet our old friends from Hempfield for the fourth time this season. The game will be at Manheim Township HS, the site of our most recent league title win in 2008 (and that victory was over Hempfield). The club should have some confidence going into this game having beaten Hempfield twice last week but Friday is a clean slate, what came before is immaterial. One thing's for sure-it won't be dull. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 14

Monday morning at the mall for lunch, in the evening it was playoff hoops at McCaskey. The L-L League has four divisions, this year Section I matched up with Section IV in the first round. In past seasons all league playoff games were at neutral sites, this year the first-round games were hosted by the four section winners. Annville-Cleona was our opponent, they were the second-place club from Section IV and came to town with a 19-3 record. Some would say that means little against us because they don't play the schedule we do but it's still a mark to be respected. This is the first time we have been in the league playoffs since 2008 so for our guys it's a new thing, none of them were around then. I've often said that McCaskey basketball is like Ike and Tina Turner singing "Proud Mary"-we never do anything easy, we do everything rough. In this game we were down by seventeen points after one quarter, at halftime we trailed by sixteen. The deficit was thirteen after three quarters, in the last quarter the Red Tornado blew at gale force outscoring A-C 25-7 for a huge 59-54 comeback win. Thirteen was the lucky number as Aaron Swinton, Diante Cherry and Brian Newsome all scored that many to tie for the team lead. Coach Powell rather enjoyed that irony, he wore #13 in his playing days. This victory was Coach Powell's 348th as head coach at JPM, he will break Pete Horn's school record with our next win. Hopefully that will come on Wednesday when we meet Lampeter-Strasburg (the Section III champion) in the semifinals, that game will be on neutral ground at Elizabethtown HS. The other two section champions lost in the first round, the other semifinal will feature Hempfield against Manheim Central (also a I vs III matchup). It's that crazy time of year, what will happen next? Take care, thanks for reading.

February 13

On the road in the afternoon as the Royals hosted Trenton for the second game of the back-to-back. Jenny was with me but not for the game, I dropped her off at a friend's house in Ephrata for a visit. Her friend's name is Sonya, they've known one another for years. Ever since Sonya moved from Lancaster Jenny rarely gets to see her. It was only about a mile or so out of the way (Ephrata is just west of route 222) so it was no bother, I called ahead after the game to let Jenny know I was en route on the return trip. All told she was there for close to six hours so it was a worthwhile visit. At the Sovereign Center the Royals made amends for the Saturday 5-2 loss with a 5-2 victory of their own. It's been well-documented how tough Trenton/Reading games are, to watch these teams play each other you would never know that the Royals have one of the better records in the league and the T-Devs have one of the worst. Olivier Labelle, Ryan Cruthers, Andrew Sarauer (the game-winner), John Scrymgeour and Ben Gordon scored for the Royals. Michael Hutchison picked up the win and also registered his first scoring point of the season with an assist on Gordon's empty-net goal in the last minute. The Royals return home on Saturday the 19th for the annual "Pink In The Rink" game for breast cancer awareness, the Wheeling Nailers will be the opponent. High school basketball playoffs get started on Monday night at JPM, we host Annville-Cleona in a first-round matchup. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 12

Saturday morning at Jenny's house, after lunch Helen joined us for the trip back to the city. At 4:00 we headed north on 222 for Royals hockey at the Sovereign Center. The club split a pair of games in Trenton last weekend and won in Wheeling on Friday, on this night the Trenton Devils returned for the first of a two-game set. The Royals had a number of roster moves since the last home game, Ryan Cruthers and Olivier Labelle are back from the AHL. As we've noted before it seems like records don't matter when these clubs get together, for whatever reason the T-Devs give the Royals fits. On this night it was no different as Trenton won it 5-2. The Royals trailed 2-0 in the third period and rallied to tie it only to see Trenton pull away with three unanswered goals. John Scrymgeour and Rob Kwiet accounted for the Royals' scoring, Michael Hutchinson took the loss in goal before a crowd of over 5570. The Devils stay in town for the rematch on Sunday at 5:05. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 10-11

Thursday morning: in Quarryville with Jenny for the usual lunch date at the pizza shop, after three straight nights of basketball the evening was spent in the comparative silence of home. On Friday evening we were back on the bus for the playoff game against Hempfield. Let's get the good news out first: JPM won 55-51 to claim the program's first division title since 2008. The game was at Penn Manor HS, when we arrived I put a copy of our roster at the scorer's table for the benefit of the PA announcer. The athletic director at Penn Manor is an old schoolmate of mine, his name is Jeff Roth (he played basketball at JPM from 1972-75). He said he had no PA announcer for the game and asked me if I wanted to do it. I told him I wanted to concentrate on keeping my scorebook during the game but I was willing to handle the pregame introductions. He understood completely and in the end it all worked out. The game itself was another barnburner played before a loud capacity crowd, it was no place for anyone with a weak heart. With three minutes left to play we were down 48-39 and Hempfield appeared to be in complete control. From there the game did a dramatic about-face, it was all JPM down the stretch as the boys went on a 16-3 run to pull out a stunningly incredible victory. Diante Cherry led with 18 points, Tyler Martin added 14. The club has been on a wonderful run lately with seven wins in the last eight games. In thirty-nine years of  L-L League play McCaskey has qualified for the postseason playoffs twenty-five times, this was the seventeenth division title the program has won. All told we've been to the Championship Game nineteen times and won eleven, a League record. What will happen this year is anyone's guess but what it means for now is we play Annville-Cleona in the first round on Monday the 14th. A win would put us in the Semifinals on Wednesday, the title game is Friday the 18th. Hockey in Reading over the weekend as the Royals host Trenton for a Saturday-Sunday double-dip. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 9

A morning errand run and lunch got the day started, in the evening we were at McCaskey for the final game of the regular season. Hempfield was the opponent and the scenario was simple: A Hempfield win would clinch first place for them, a JPM win would tie the teams for the division title. There are few printed words to do the atmosphere justice, the crowd was halfway to capacity for the start of the Junior Varsity game, by the time that game ended the place was full. It was the last home game, we honored the senior cheerleaders and players in pregame activities. We had three seniors on the club this year: Devonte Gantt, Jose Mejia and Tyler Martin. We also recognized our JV squad for an excellent season, their final mark was 16-4. The game itself was a battle with a capital B, in the end JPM was the "last man standing" with a 54-52 win. If this had been a prizefight both fighters would have been carried from the ring on stretchers, the intensity level was that high. Coach Powell used seven players and they all scored-Brian Newsome led with 16, Diante Cherry had 14 and Tyler added 10. The result insures a playoff game for the division title on Friday the 11th at Penn Manor HS in Millersville at 7:00. No matter what happens the boys have a lot to be proud of, on January 22 the club's record was 7-8 and there was serious doubt for any shot at the postseason. The boys have won six of seven since then, they have qualified for the district tournament and earned a opportunity to play for an improbable division title. It goes without saying that Friday's game will be another battle to the end. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 8

Jenny was in town in the afternoon on business, afterward we took a drive north to Ephrata. Jenny recently won a CD on a radio call-in contest, she had to go to the studio to claim it. In the evening I was at McCaskey making a "Special Guest-Starring" appearance on the PA at the girls' basketball game against Lebanon. This was the final home game for the girls, before tipoff we recognized Dajere James, Gliciery Ventura and Stephanie Guzman as the team's graduating seniors. The game itself was one to remember as JPM won in overtime 60-53. It was a somewhat surprising result since the girls have struggled this season (this was just their fifth win) and Lebanon is in first place in their division. I told head coach Brian McCloud that I'd like to think that my presence on the mic inspired the girls to this victory but of course that had nothing to do with it. The team played an excellent game against a tough opponent and was rewarded with a much-deserved win. In the short term it means little since the team has only one game remaining but in the long term it's a win to build on for the returning underclassmen. It was a windy day, it turned bitterly cold in the evening. We'll see what the rest of the week brings. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 7

The usual morning errand run got the day started, in the afternoon Mazi called. Her vehicle was fixed and ready for pickup, she asked me if I could take her to the garage to get it. It was a quick within-the-city trip, I was back home in short order. At 4:00 we were at JPM for the bus ride to Cedar Crest, the second consecutive Monday we traveled north on route 72 into Lebanon County (what did we do to deserve that). The boys picked up win #12 with a relatively easy 68-45 decision, we were ahead by twenty-five at halftime and never let Cedar Crest within twenty the rest of the way. We only had two players in double figures (Newsome 15, Cherry 13) but everybody in uniform played and just about everyone scored. Coach Powell added Christian Davidson and Derrick Dixon to the Varsity roster last week, they have been starting for the Junior Varsity most of the season. They each made their "big league" debut in the fourth quarter, Derrick had a field goal and Christian went 2-2 at the foul line. On the way home we got word that Penn Manor had lost to Warwick and Manheim Township beat Hempfield. The PM loss clinches a league playoff berth for us, we can finish no worse than second in our division. Hempfield's loss keeps us in contention for first place, if we could beat them on Wednesday at home it would forge a tie for the division title and force a playoff game later this week. Since losing three straight in January and dropping below .500 the boys have won five of their last six, perhaps they are peaking just at the right time. Hempfield will be a tough test, we'll see what happens on Wednesday. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 5-6

It started raining overnight into Saturday, there were reports of icy driving conditions. Saw in the newspaper where JPM won on Friday at Manheim Township, it took overtime but they got it done 65-59. A key victory at a point where ever win is gold and every loss is a killer. Talked to Mazi in the morning, she was at the doctor the other day. She had a pounding headache and was out of pain reliever, I stopped at the local drug store for some and dropped it off at her place. She continues to have trouble with her vehicle, it's in the shop right now so she's basically stuck at home. From there I was at Jenny's house (no driving issues), after lunch she and Helen came back to the city with me. Since Mazi planned to stay in and try to get some rest Helen was going to use her seat in Hershey in the evening. On our way in from Quarryville we heard radio reports of accidents on some of the major arteries, one of them involved a fatality. By the time we left for Hershey the roadways were in acceptable shape, it was misty but we had no travel problems. The Manitoba Moose (from Winnipeg) were Hershey's opponent, they are affiliated with the NHL Vancouver Canucks. The Royals' Ryan Cruthers returned to the Moose after the game in Reading on Wednesday, he skated in the pregame warm-up but did not play in this game. After Hershey led 4-1 in the second period Manitoba rallied back to tie it, the Moose emerged victorious in the overtime shootout 5-4. The rain was gone for the drive home, the roads were still wet but we had no trouble. Not much going on Sunday but the early part of the week will be busy with basketball season winding down. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 4

Had lunch and got a haircut in the afternoon, unlike the last time all of my tires were still inflated when I was done at the hair salon. At 4:00 it was north on 222 (by myself once again) as the Royals hosted the Trenton Devils. Over the years it hasn't mattered what the team's records are, Trenton/Reading games are always a struggle. So far this season the Royals are 4-1 in five visits to Trenton but just 0-1-1 against the Devils at the Sovereign Center. On this night Trenton had much the better of the play as they outshot the Royals 52-25 but it didn't matter as the Royals won the game 4-2. Casey Haines, Yannick Reindeau, Jared Ross and Chris Blight scored for the Royals but the main reason for this win was goaltending. Earlier in the day Ben Scrivens was reassigned from AHL Toronto, he made his first start in goal for the Royals since mid-December and stopped fifty of the fifty-two shots he faced. His effort earned him the game's #1 star, the second straight such honor for a Royals goaltender. The Maple Leafs organization has had goaltending issues this year, between injuries and ineffective play the team's goalies have been shuffled between the NHL and the AHL and the dynamic has been felt in Reading. Exactly how long Scrivens stays with the Royals is anyone's guess but he's more than welcome. The teams will meet again on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon in Trenton, that's three games between the same two teams in a forty-eight hour period. The Royals are next at home on Saturday the 12th when the Devils return for a Saturday-Sunday double-dip (gotta love that ECHL schedule). Take care, thanks for reading.

February 3

Thursday morning in Quarryville with Jenny, we did our usual midweek lunch at the local pizza shop. In the afternoon I got an e-mail from Jon Mitchell at McCaskey, the girls' game on Wednesday night was postponed because the Lebanon school district was closed. It was rescheduled for Tuesday the 8th and he wanted to know if I could do the PA since the faculty member who usually works their games will be absent. In the evening we were at JPM for the makeup game with Warwick. This was your typical fifteen-round heavyweight fight to the finish as the boys kept postseason hopes alive with a 68-63 win. It started poorly as Warwick led by ten after the first quarter, the boys fought back to lead by one at the half. The advantage was seven points heading into the last quarter, the club held on down the stretch for the crucial victory. Diante Cherry led with 24 points, Tyler Martin had 18 and Brian Newsome added 12. The win put the team back over .500 at 10-9, 9-4 in the league. There's little time to celebrate, the boys are back at it on Friday at Manheim Township (I'll be absent for a Royals game but I'll be there in spirit). The regular season wraps up next week with games on Monday at Cedar Crest and at home against Hempfield on Wednesday. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 1-2

Tuesday dawned with icy precipitation falling, it had stopped by the time I went out but there was a good bit of windshield scraping to do at the car. It was announced that the game with Warwick was postponed, since the gym was booked for a girls' game on Wednesday our game was rescheduled for Thursday. The rain returned in the evening with predictions of more freeze-up overnight. Wednesday morning was warmer than Tuesday had been, there was no ice-scraping necessary. In the afternoon I was on my way north as the Wheeling Nailers visited the Sovereign Center, Jenny was not with me since this game was not on her personal schedule. The Royals play eight home games in February, seven of them are against Wheeling, Trenton or Elmira. The Eastern Conference of the ECHL has three divisions, the Royals currently lead the Atlantic while the Nailers are in first place in the North and Greenville leads the South. The club's roster was bolstered on this night with the return of Ryan Cruthers and Ben Gordon from stints in the AHL, Ryan has been on loan to the Manitoba Moose while Ben spent the weekend with the Rochester Americans. Their presence was a difference-maker as they accounted for all the goals in a 3-1 victory. Gordon's goal in the second period gave the club a 1-0 lead, after Wheeling tied it in the third period Cruthers scored twice including an empty-netter to clinch the win. Michael Hutchinson was huge in goal stopping forty of the forty-one shots he faced, he was named the game's #1 star. It was an excellent game between two of the better teams in the league but unfortunately we had a small crowd on hand, only about 3200 ventured out on a cold Wednesday night. The boys are at home on Friday the 4th against Trenton. Take care, thanks for reading.