January 29-31

Wednesday and Thursday had little to offer outside of a visit and lunch with Jenny, on Friday she was in town once again. The weather was remarkably mild, temperatures were right around the freezing mark with no wind to speak of. Jenny commented that it didn't feel cold at all, in comparison to what we've had recently it certainly seemed that way. In the afternoon we met up at McCaskey for another bus ride, the evening's games were at Manheim Township HS. In the JV contest JPM lost in overtime, that marks the first time in several years that our JV squad has lost twice to the same opponent in the same season. The varsity game was another typical divisional battle as JPM picked up a crucial 61-52 win. We were down three at the quarter but rebounded to lead by three at the half. The advantage was up to seven entering the fourth quarter, Township fought to the end but the Red Tornado held on. Antanee Pinkard was the only player in double figures (22) but there was balanced production underneath from Kobe Gantz, Randolph Speller and C.J. Gantz (eight apiece). The victory keeps us tied for first in the division with Hempfield at 12-2, overall the club is 14-6. The boys are at home on Monday the 3rd against Cedar Crest, a victory there could clinch a league playoff berth (CC lost on Friday, they're a game behind us at 11-3). The final week of the regular season is a Monday-Wednesday format but there is bad weather in the forecast for the early part of the week. We've already had four games rescheduled due to weather or other factors, what might happen in the coming week remains to be seen. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 26-28

Sunday was a typically quiet non-game day, on Monday and Tuesday Jenny was in town on business. On Tuesday evening we boarded the bus for the second of three straight away from home, the destination was Warwick HS in Lititz. Historically it has not mattered what the records are, a game against Warwick (especially in their gym) is never an easy assignment. The JV squad won their game despite being shorthanded, varsity player Orlando Burgos was added to the roster to give Coach Mitchell an extra option. The varsity game was reminiscent of the game on Saturday against Penn Wood. JPM got off to a good start, at halftime we were up by fourteen. The advantage was thirteen entering the fourth quarter, a Warwick rally brought them to within three with three minutes left. That was as close as it got as the Red Tornado won 61-55. Kobe Gantz had the big night with 25, Tyler Owens was the only other player to hit double-digits with 10. The overall record is up to 13-6, the league mark is 11-2. The club has won a season-high six in a row but the journey is far from over. The 11-2 league record has us tied for the division lead with Hempfield and Cedar Crest with games against those clubs looming as the last two on the schedule. The immediate concern is a trip to Manhein Township on Friday, a good result is essential if those last two games are to matter. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 25

The brutally cold weather continues, on Saturday morning there were snow flurries blowing around. The Red Tornado beat Elizabethtown in their Friday makeup game to improve the league mark to 10-2, on this day we convened at JPM at 1:00 for a bus trip to Berks County. Every season Reading HS hosts a "showcase" event on a Saturday, this is the third year we've been a part of it. This was our final non-league game, the opponent was Penn Wood from Lansdowne (suburban Philadelphia). According to rankings PW is one of the better teams in the state, for our side it was probably a question of what was left in the tank since this was our third game in less than forty-eight hours. The game started at 3:00 and for the most part we had the advantage, entering the last quarter we were up by seven. In the final minutes Penn Wood rallied from a fifteen-point deficit to tie the game but JPM was able to hold on and pull out a 67-63 win. Coach Powell used nine players and everyone scored, Kobe Gantz led with 16 while Antanee Pinkard had 15 and Randolph Speller added 12. After the game the team was in the locker room for some time with the coaching staff, the topic of conversation was how important each remaining game is and there is no such thing as easy money. The club's overall record stands at 12-6, we finish 2-4 within our non-league schedule. The boys are in the running for playoff spots in the league and the district but nothing is settled yet, the last four games will tell the story. We play at Warwick on the 28th and Manheim Township on the 31st before hosting Cedar Crest on February 3 and finishing at Hempfield on the 5th. Big games, one and all. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 24

Friday night soccer at the Santander Arena as the Roar hosted the Rochester Lancers. This was the first of two visits to Reading for the Lancers, oddly they are on back-to-back occasions. The Roar was looking for a second straight home-field win but it would not be as Rochester won handily. The game was competitive early on, the Roar scored first on a 2-pointer by newcomer Tyrone Hall but the Lancers rebounded to take a 4-2 lead. Max Touloute scored twice but a Rochester three-ball gave the Lancers a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter. From there it was just about all Rochester, seven straight Lancer scores broke the game wide open. The Roar picked up one last score from Jordan Thomas in the fourth quarter but that would be it as the Lancers won it 24-8. The Roar has two home games left, Rochester returns on February 7 and the season ends on March 2 against Baltimore. With the Royals on a six-game road trip right now I'll have a mini-vacation, that February 7 game is the next time I'll be at the Arena. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 23

According to the Thursday newspaper we got eight inches of snow in the city on Tuesday, the total snowfall for the season is up to thirty inches. Over the next week temperatures are expected to be well below normal. In the morning the access van brought Jenny into town for an appointment, I took her home and we had our usual lunch date. She had another appointment in Willow Street in the afternoon, I dropped her off there and the van took her home later. If it were another day she would have relied on the access van for all the transportation, luckily that wasn't the case here. In the evening we were at McCaskey as the Red Tornado hosted Penn Manor. Thanks to the postponement on Tuesday this was the first of a three-in-three and the second time we've had a stretch like that in three weeks. Earlier in the season we beat PM by nineteen at their place, on this night it was much tougher but the guys got it done 81-69. It was a four-point game into the last quarter before JPM managed to pull away. La'Detrius Sibley led the Red Tornado with 13, Randolph Speller and Antanee Pinkard had 11 each. The win is the club's tenth against six losses and moves the league record to 9-2. The JV game was one for the books, JPM won 79-40 but that was only half the story. By the time it was over a total of forty-eight fouls had been called (in a twenty-eight minute game). The Penn Manor coaches were upset because of the the disparity in fouls (PM was whistled for thirty as opposed to our eighteen), angry words were exchanged between players more than once. The officials were two new faces, to my recollection neither one had worked a McCaskey game previously. Maybe if we're very lucky we won't see them again for a long time. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 20-22

Monday morning: left at 10:00 for afternoon hockey at the Arena, the Royals hosted the Elmira Jackals in the annual Martin Luther King holiday game. This was the fourth consecutive game-day in a row for me in Reading (I realize that sentence is redundant but I'm only trying to make a point). There were a lot of youngsters in the house, with no school for the holiday we've always marketed the MLK game as a Kids Day. The Royals got on the board quickly on Brett Flemming's goal in the first minute, a few moments later Ryan Cruthers made it 2-0. The Jackals got one back before newcomer Josh Brittain (on assignment from AHL Hershey) restored the two-goal advantage at 3-1. Elmira would score once more but not again as Brandon Anderson picked up the 3-2 victory. The win is the club's seventh consecutive (and the sixth in a row on home ice) and improves the overall mark to 22-12-1, 11-8-0 at home. The boys play their next six on the road, the next game at home is not until February 8. Snow was forecast for Tuesday, it arrived shortly after sunrise and fell heavy and hard for several hours. The city school district closed for the day and the evening's scheduled basketball game was postponed as well, it was rescheduled for Wednesday. Jenny was supposed to come into town but her transportation cancelled so she ended up stuck at home like me, I never even made it onto the front porch. By Wednesday morning the storm was gone but temperatures were in the single digits with wind chills below zero, I was able to get the car cleaned off and an errand run accomplished. School was cancelled once again, the basketball game was moved to Friday. That sets up a three-in-three week for JPM: Thursday at home against Penn Manor, Friday at home against Elizabethtown and Saturday afternoon at Reading High for a non-leaguer against Penn Wood. The club had a similar stretch a few weeks ago so they should know what to expect. The bad thing for me is I'm out of it on Friday because of soccer at the Arena. Back in December we had a basketball game postponed on a night I was slated to be absent, it was rescheduled for a date I could make. This time it's the opposite so I guess the old expression "what comes around goes around" is applicable. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 19

Sunday afternoon: back in downtown Reading for a third consecutive game-day, the soccer turf was down as the Roar hosted the St. Louis Ambush. This was a matchup of the MISL's two expansion franchises, ironically they are owned and operated under the same corporate umbrella. Both teams have played eleven of their twenty games, the Ambush came in at 4-7 with the Roar still looking to break into the win column. Sweet Victory came to the Roar at long last on this day in the form of a decisive 16-0 verdict. Roar head coach Eric Puls added some new blood to the lineup in an effort to find a winning formula and the new additions played a big role in the win. Reading-area native Pete Rowley put the Roar on the board in the first quarter, his second goal in the next quarter made it 4-0 Roar at the half. In the third period newcomer Max Touloute (from Haiti) found the net to put the Roar up 6-0. In the fourth quarter the floodgates opened, scores by Corey Maret and Chris Williams plus 3-point goals from Maret and Ptah Myers put the finishing touches on the first win in club history. As the game ended the crowd saluted the team as they surrounded veteran goaltender Peter Pappas in celebration. Pappas played thirteen years in the MISL with the now-defunct Philadelphia franchise, he came out of retirement to play for the Roar in this inaugural season. The club has three home dates remaining, the next of those is on Friday the 24th against the Rochester Lancers. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 15-18

Not much going on Wednesday, on Thursday Jenny and I had lunch in Quarryville. It was the boys' turn for late basketball practice, after supper I took the books over to school so they would have them for Friday's game in Lebanon (as it stands that is my final absence of the regular season). I had planned to take them to Wednesday practice but after five games in nine days Coach Powell felt a day off would be beneficial. Jenny and her mother were along on Friday for the start of a busy weekend at the Arena as the Royals hosted the Toledo Walleye. This was the first of two games comprising the Walleye's only regular-season visit to Reading. In the Friday opener the Royals scored the first four goals en route to a 5-2 win. Yannick Tifu got it started, back-to-back scores by T.J. Syner made it 3-0. Sean Wiles extended the lead to four before Toledo got on the board, a third-period goal by Domenic Monardo wrapped up the win for Brandon Anderson. On Saturday the Royals finished the sweep with a win that was much like Friday's early on. Ethan Cox gave the Royals a 1-0 first-period lead, in the second period Cox's second score plus goals from Michael Cajkovsky and Yannick Tifu upped the lead to four. The Walleye got on the board before T.J. Syner made it 5-1, from there the script changed dramatically. Toledo scored three goals a furious rally that fell short as the Royals held on to win it 5-4. New goaltender Carson Chubak (on loan from the Flyers organization) picked up the victory in his Royals debut, he's a first-year pro from Niagara University. The boys are back on Arena ice on Monday the 20th for the annual Martin Luther King Day game at 1:05. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 13-14

Monday morning lunch at the mall was the extent of the day's activities, after the events of the previous week that was not a bad thing. Rain moved into the area overnight into Tuesday, it was dank and dreary all day. In the evening we were back at McCaskey as the boys opened the second half of the league schedule with a crossover game against Cocalico. The night began as always with the JV game, JPM was victorious to run their record to 8-3. The varsity game was a struggle for many reasons but the Red Tornado got it done with a 76-63 verdict. The club was missing some players thanks to illness, a few of those in uniform played despite being less than 100%. We were up by five at the quarter and down by four at the half, a fourth-quarter rally was the difference. Randolph Speller led JPM with 23, Kobe Gantz had 15 and Tyler Owens added 13. The win moves the club's record to 7-2 in the league and 8-6 overall, the boys are in Lebanon on Friday the 17th (and I'll be absent because the Royals are at home that night). The rain ended in early evening, when we came out after the game it was very foggy. Thankfully the drive home was very short, there was very little visibility. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 11-12

It was rainy on Saturday morning with temperatures in the 50s, quite the contrast from earlier in the week when it was in single digits. In the afternoon we headed north on 222 for the first of two consecutive game-days at the Arena. The bright green indoor soccer turf was rolled out as the Roar hosted the Missouri Comets (from Independence, near Kansas City). This was the first game of the season's second half for the Roar, through ten games the club had yet to record a victory. On this night the visitors from Missouri ran out to a 9-0 third-quarter lead. The Roar got on the board on a two-point goal from Kingsley Onwuka, a few minutes later JerJer Gibson hit the net from three-point range to make it 9-5. Unfortunately that was the extent of the comeback, the Comets scored twice more to cement a 13-5 win. It's generally understood that expansion teams will struggle, the Roar has yet to score ten points in a game or surrender fewer than ten. The club next plays at home on Sunday the 19th. The arena's changeover crew was busy overnight as the building was converted for Sunday afternoon hockey, the Royals played at 5:00 against the Elmira Jackals. This was the third game in three days between the teams, the Royals won in Elmira on Friday 4-1 and on Saturday 4-2. On this day the boys finished the three-game weekend sweep with a 3-0 shutout. It was the Brandon Anderson show as he stopped thirty shots for his second shutout of the season. Brett Flemming scored the game-winner in the second period, a power-play goal by Ryan Cruthers and a third-period marker from Sean Wiles gave Anderson all he needed for the team's fourth straight win and seventh in the last ten. The overall record improves to 19-12-1, the boys are at home on Friday the 17th against Toledo. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 9-10

Thursday evening: back at McCaskey as the week's basketball gauntlet continued. This night featured the makeup game from the previous Friday against Warwick. With this game positioned as it was the coaching staff was concerned about it being a "trap" game and for most of the evening they were spot on. Warwick is one of those PITA programs to play against, no matter the record they are never an easy opponent. JPM won the game 61-53 as Kobe Gantz and La'Detrius Sibley scored 18 apiece, Antanee Pinkard added ten to round out the double-figures brigade. It was an important win but as the coaches noted after the game it was more a matter of survival than victory. On Friday the long week ended as Hempfield visited for the final game of the league's first half. The lethargy of the previous night was nowhere to be seen on this occasion, Hempfield-McCaskey games have historically been must-see. Tyler Owens led JPM with 17, Antanee Pinkard had 16, Kobe Gantz added 13 and Randolph Speller scored 12 but it all meant little as Hempfield won on this night 75-68. Perhaps the fatigue of four games in five days was a factor (Hempfield did not play on Thursday) but in the post-game Coach Powell would not use that as an excuse. He told the team to stay in and rest on Saturday, the next practice would be on Monday. The club's mark stands at 6-2 in the league, 7-6 overall. The coming week features a return to normal with a home game on Tuesday, a road game on Friday and some quality practice time in-between. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 8

According to the morning newspaper Tuesday's overnight low of -3 set a new record for January 7, the old mark had stood since 1942. On Wednesday it warmed up all the way to 24 in the afternoon as we made our way north on 222 to Reading. The Royals lost two of three on their recent road swing, on this night the Wheeling Nailers made their third appearance of the season at the Santander Arena. The Royals took a 1-0 first-period lead on a score by Michael Cajkovsky, a few minutes later Sean Wiles lit the lamp to make it 2-0. In the second period Wiles struck again to put the club up by three, Ryan Cruthers hit the net to make 4-0. The Nailers replied in kind to cut the advantage to 4-2 but that was as far as the comeback would go. In the final period Cruthers netted his second of the night, in the closing moments the Nailers pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. Wiles appeared to complete his hattrick when he scored into the empty net but the play was whistled dead for an off sides, on the next faceoff he hit the net again and that one counted as the Royals wrapped up the 6-2 win. Goalie Brandon Anderson recently rejoined the club from an AHL stint, he picked up the victory with a solid effort. The win improves the club's mark to 16-12-1 (7-8-0 at the Arena), the boys will be in Elmira on Friday and Saturday before hosting the Jackals on Sunday (should be an interesting weekend). Saw online where McCaskey lost at Cedar Crest on Wednesday night, that is the club's first loss in league play. The team's five losses overall have been by a total of 27 points. JPM is at home on Thursday and Friday. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 6-7

Monday morning at the mall for lunch, in the evening we started a busy week of basketball at McCaskey. Manheim Township was the opponent, in the JV game MT won 53-46. This was the first league loss for JPM since the 2010-11 season, in 2012 the club was undefeated at 19-0 and in '13 both losses were to non-league opposition. In the varsity game order was restored as the Red Tornado prevailed 86-70. The final margin was somewhat misleading, this was your typical LL Section I fight-to-a-finish. We were ahead by five at the quarter and eight at the half, at the end of three the lead was only seven. Tempers flared in the final quarter as words were exchanged and technical fouls were accessed, from there JPM pulled away for the win. McCaskey had four players in double figures: Kobe Gantz led with 23, Antanee Pinkard added 22, Randolph Speller had 14 and La'Detrius Sibley rounded out the list with 10. The victory keeps the league mark spotless at 5-0 and at 6-4 overall. The week's challenges continue on Wednesday with a trip to Cedar Crest, the rescheduled game with Warwick on Thursday and a date with Hempfield on Friday. When I came out after the game it was markedly colder, overnight into Tuesday the temperatures dropped below zero. The forecasts were calling it a polar vortex, when I went out for the morning errand run it was two degrees above with a wind chill factor of -19. I did what I had to do and returned home in good order, there was no point in being out any longer than absolutely necessary. Later in the afternoon I took the scorebooks over to school since I'll be absent from Wednesday's game (but I'm OK for the others). According to the forecasts it's supposed to warm up all the way to 26 on Wednesday with temperatures in the 50s by the weekend (YOU figure it out). Take care, thanks for reading.

January 1-5

New Years Day fell on a Wednesday in 2014, first time for that since 2003. With wall-to-wall college football and a hockey game on TV there was no reason to go anywhere. On Thursday morning it was much colder than earlier in the week, I was with Jenny in Quarryville for lunch. There was snow in the forecast, it arrived in mid-afternoon and by nightfall it was WHITE outside. McCaskey's girls basketball team was supposed to play at home but the game was postponed. This was a rescheduled game from an earlier postponement, when it is finally played it will be a makeup of a makeup. By Friday morning the storm was over, the temperatures were in single digits with wind chill factors below zero. Got word early on that our basketball game for the evening was called off since the schools were closed, it was tentatively reset for January 9. That news effectively ended the day, I decided to clean off and warm up my car so it wouldn't sit all day in the cold. Saturday finally saw some noteworthy activity, after a lunch visit with Jenny we made our final visit of the regular season to Hershey for AHL hockey. I was a season ticket holder there for many years, that ended with the advent of the Royals in 2001. On this night two of the AHL's most venerable franchises met as the Bears (established 1938) hosted the Rochester Americans (since 1956). In the wacky world of minor league sports longevity of that nature is almost unheard of. Two players who have spent time with the Royals in '13-14 were in uniform for the Bears, Dustin Gazley played a regular shift and Riley Gill served as backup goaltender. The Bears won the game 5-1. Travel coming and going wasn't much of an issue, I just stuck to the main roads and avoided my usual shortcuts. Sunday featured freezing rain just about all day, there was nothing on the schedule which given the weather was just as well.The coming week should be busy providing the weather cooperates. Take care, thanks for reading.