February 28

The final Friday of February was a hockey night in Reading, Jamie Burkholder joined the ladies and me for the afternoon drive to Berks County. The South Carolina Stingrays made the last of their three appearances at the Arena, they were the opponent on opening weekend back in October. The clubs split a pair that weekend, the Royals winning via shootout on opening night and the Rays returning the favor with a regulation win the next day. On this night the Stingrays entered with the Eastern Conference's best record, the Royals held the #4 position (there are thirteen teams in the conference, only the top eight qualify for playoffs). It figured to be a good challenge and it was met head-on and decisively as the Royals won it going away 4-0. The game was scoreless after one period, in the second stanza Josh Brittain scored nineteen seconds in to make it 1-0. Thirty-five seconds later Brett Flemming lit the lamp to up the lead to two. Midway through the third period Julien Cayer found the back of the net, T.J. Syner's score a few minutes later wrapped up the scoring. Brandon Anderson got the call in goal and was immense especially in the last period when the Rays were pressing, the shutout was his third of the season. Riley Gill was back in uniform but served as backup as he finds his way back from illness. The win improves the club's mark to 32-19-2, 15-10-1 at home. The boys are at home for three games in three days from March 7-9, Wheeling visits on Friday and Evansville comes in for Saturday and Sunday. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 26-27

The weather turned even colder overnight into Wednesday, we had a dusting of snow in the early morning but the sun melted it down quickly. For a second consecutive Wednesday we did lunch in Quarryville with Jenny and Helen because it was a game night at the Arena. The Elmira Jackals were in town for the seventh of their nine appearances, on this night the Royals took the measure of the visitors from New York 4-1. The Jackals scored first but T.J. Syner evened it at 1-1. In the second period Domenic Monardo gave the Royals the lead they would not relinquish, third-period markers from Sean Wiles and Ryan Cruthers wrapped up the victory for Brandon Anderson. Riley Gill was out of the lineup due to illness, Royals coach Larry Courville put out an SOS call to old friend and former Hershey goaltender Frederic Cassivi to serve as backup. Freddy has been retired since 2010, he and Larry were teammates during their playing days. In 2013 Cassivi played a game for the Royals on an emergency basis at the age of 37. The boys finish the month at home on Friday against South Carolina. The bitter cold was out in force on Thursday, the morning errand run was all that happened. With the Winter Olympics completed pro hockey is back in season, there were two games on TV in the evening. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 21-25

Every year the end of basketball season signals a bit of a slowdown, unfortunately it comes about three weeks too early this time around. It was rainy on Friday, with temperatures rising the morning fog was very thick. I saw Jenny over the lunch hour and had a haircut appointment in the afternoon. On Saturday I visited her in Quarryville for lunch, on Sunday I never got further than the front porch. Weekend temperatures were in the 50s with bright sunshine, a lot of the leftover snow melted down but many of the big piles still have a long way to go. On Monday I took the paperwork from basketball season over to McCaskey so I can be paid for the season, errand runs that day and Tuesday were about all that happened. It was colder and windy both days but with sunshine still prominent the snow melting continued nicely. The Royals won two of three on the road over the weekend, the boys return home for games on Wednesday against Elmira and Friday against South Carolina. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 20

The morning newspaper had a story about McCaskey's loss on Wednesday night, it marks the first time the team has been eliminated in the first round of districts since 2011. All things considered it's nothing to be ashamed of, after going 26-4 in 2012-13 this season was virtually a brand-new start. There are many programs that would lose an entire roster (save for one player) and be 3-19 the next year, our club finished a very respectable 15-10. The boys lost their first two games to two of the best teams in the state, that was followed by a five-game win streak. The club cooled off somewhat after the new year with four of six in the loss column but they rebounded to post seven straight wins. The home stretch was not kind as the team lost four of their last five including the final three in a row. The fifteen wins were by an average margin of 15.5 points, the ten losses by 6.9 (the Wednesday loss in York was the only time the club lost by double digits). The team went 7-4 at home and 7-4 on the road, 1-2 on neutral floors. Kobe Gantz led the club in total points (426) and per-game average (17.0), Antanee Pinkard also averaged in double figures at 15.0. In twenty-two years as head coach Steve Powell's record stands at 413-193, a .681 winning percentage. The starting lineup varied over the course of the season but for the most part Coach Powell utilized an all-underclassmen starting five. We lose four seniors but the JV squad finished 14-4 so the cupboard should be well-stocked in 2014-2015, we'll see how it all comes together in November. On Thursday evening Jamie Burkholder joined me for the drive to Reading, the soccer field was rolled out as the Roar hosted the Rochester Lancers. This was the game rescheduled from February 7, Jenny and Helen did not come since Jenny had an early wake-up call on Friday. The expansion Roar's struggles continued on this night as the visiting Lancers won 18-2, Kingley Onwuka accounted for the only score for the Roar. The club has one home game remaining, that is on March 2nd against Baltimore, Take care, thanks for reading.

February 17-19

Every winter I seem to go through a period where the throat gets scratchy, the nose stuffs up and eventually it moves into the chest area. It always seems to happen at a busy time when there are games to work and I get little chance to recover. It hit me sometime on Monday, on Wednesday I was still fighting it. Had lunch with the ladies in Quarryville a day earlier than usual since it was a game night in Reading, the Royals reached the two-thirds point of the schedule as they hosted the Wheeling Nailers at the Arena. The Nailers scored once in the first and once in the second, they upped the lead to three early in the third. Brandon Brandina got the Royals on the board but another Wheeling goal squelched any momentum as the Nailers won it in pedestrian fashion 4-1, Brandon Anderson took the loss in net. The boys hit the pole at 28-18-2 (13-10-1 at home), they play three on the road over the weekend before returning home to face Elmira on Wednesday the 26th. Saw on the Internet where McCaskey lost their district playoff game in York 78-64, that ends the season for JPM with a final mark of 15-10. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 15-16

There was a slight dusting of snow overnight into Saturday but nothing that was especially worrisome. Had lunch with Jenny and Helen in Quarryville, later in the day we drove through some flurries on the way north to Reading. The Royals split a pair of games on the road during the week, on this night the Evansville Icemen visited for the opener of a two-game set. The Icemen are in their second year as an ECHL franchise, this was their first appearance at the Arena since November 2012. This was our annual "Pink In The Rink" game for breast cancer awareness, always one of the more popular dates in the home schedule. The Royals won 4-1 on the strength of a two-goal performance from Domenic Monardo, Sean Wiles and Marvin Degon added single markers in support of winning goalie Brandon Anderson. The teams combined for over one hundred penalty minutes, half of them in a late-game melee that featured three players ejected. On the way home we stopped at a convenience store so Helen could get a few things, on the way out she slipped and fell on a patch of ice. She needed some help to get up but she said she was OK, it was just upsetting especially for Jenny (she's still sore from her recent spill). On Sunday Jamie Burkholder joined us for the afternoon rematch, after the fireworks from the night before this game was mundane by comparison. The Icemen scored a third-period goal to break a scoreless tie, the Royals tied it on a Mike Banwell tally to force overtime. The matter was resolved in the shootout, Evansville outscored the Royals three goals to one to earn the 2-1 win. Riley Gill got the start in goal and took the tough-luck loss. The Royals' record stands at 28-17-2 (13-9-1 at home), the boys are home on Wednesday the 19th against Wheeling. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 12-14

The morning errand run was the extent of Wednesday's activities, after supper I strategically relocated my car within the parking lot across the street. There was a major snowfall in the forecast, it began to fall around 9:00 Wednesday night and by Thursday morning it was a virtual white-out. All the schools were closed, many area businesses shut down as well. The snow let up during the afternoon but another round blew through in the evening. With the Olympics underway in Russia there was hockey on TV most of the day but it wasn't much of a cure for the overall boredom, I would have had my usual Thursday visit with Jenny but the weather ruined it. Before I went to bed I saw that the lot had been plowed, I never noticed it while it was happening. Getting the car cleared and out of its space on Friday morning was more of a challenge than Monday but it would have been much tougher had I been parked in my usual spot. Got an errand run accomplished, everywhere I wanted to go was open so I was able to make up for the lost day. Temperatures reached above freezing and the sunshine was brilliant, the ice in the lot melted down noticeably while I was gone. According to the newspaper the county saw anywhere from twelve to sixteen inches on Thursday, they didn't have any breakdowns for specific locations but quite honestly I didn't need to know. They are calling for another inch or two on Saturday (grand news with the Royals at home for the weekend) but after Thursday that should be a walk in the park. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 10-11

The Sunday night snow was long gone by morning, getting the car cleared and out on the road was no problem at all. Had lunch at the mall, on the way back into town I saw Jenny briefly as I usually do when she's in town. A similar errand run got things started on Tuesday, in late afternoon we met at McCaskey as league playoffs got underway. JPM was traveling to Manheim (about ten miles northwest of town on route 72) for a quarterfinal game against Manheim Central. Over the years MC has been an exceptionally infrequent opponent, in my twenty-six years back at JPM this is only the fourth time we've played them as far as I can recall. This was the first time I've been in their gym, it is one of the old-school variety (rickety wooden bleachers with the scorers table built in and the first row serving as the team benches). Most of the gyms in our division (and even in Section II) are much more modern, I found sitting on those bleachers rather uncomfortable. MC won their division on the strength of a 20-2 record so obviously they're doing something right, on this night it was in evidence as they won the game 67-62. We led briefly in the early going but trailed by five at the half, in the third quarter MC blew it wide open to take an eighteen-point lead. In the final period Kobe Gantz led a comeback for the ages, he scored 24 points (of his game-high 36) as JPM tied it in the final two minutes but that was as far as it would go as we just could not get over that proverbial hump (a recurring theme in recent games). The loss marks the first we have exited in the first round of leagues since 2004, that team finished 10-14 yet managed to earn a postseason berth. The attention now turns to the district tournament, as the #9 seed JPM meets #8 York in the first round. York is a perennial entry in our holiday tournament, the clubs met in a tremendous overtime game at McCaskey in December. The district matchup is in York on Wednesday the 19th, it's a one-and-done deal and I'll miss it because the Royals are at home that night as well. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 8-9

Saturday lunch with Jenny and her mother, in the evening we were at the Arena for Royals hockey. The club went 3-3 on the recent road trip, this was the team's first home game since January 20. The Wheeling Nailers were the opponent for the opener of a two-game series, in celebration of the Olympic Games getting underway in Russia the Royals wore special jerseys saluting the various participating countries. Legendary professional wrestler George "The Animal" Steele was in the house, he dropped the ceremonial first puck and signed autographs. I met him years ago when he made an appearance at a local minor league baseball game, he's a very nice man (the exact opposite of the character he portrayed in his wrestling career). The Royals took a quick 1-0 lead on a score by T.J. Syner but the Nailers scored the next four, defenseman Mike Banwell made it 4-2 but another Wheeling goal wrapped it up at 5-2. Riley Gill returned from the AHL during the road trip, he made his first Arena appearance since December 28 and took the loss in goal. On Sunday afternoon we were back for game #2, the Royals turned the tables with a 5-3 win. The Nailers scored first but the Royals replied on goals from Michal Cajkovsky and Domenic Monardo to take a 2-1 lead. Wheeling would tie it at 2-2 before Sean Wiles restored the lead, third-period scores by Marvin Degon and Julien Cayer (empty-netter) put the ribbon on the box as Brandon Anderson picked up the win. The victory came at a price, in the second period Yannick Tifu fell awkwardly into the boards and suffered what was termed an "upper-body" injury (hockey is a sport notorious for keeping specifics on injuries very secretive, it's probably the only pro sport where a man can have a broken ankle and have the world believe it's back spasms). How long Yannick will be out is to be determined, hopefully it's not a prolonged absence. The club's record stands at 26-16-1, they play on the road twice during the week before hosting Evansville on the weekend. There was snow in the forecast, it arrived during the game. As we were leaving Jenny slipped and fell on the steps outside the building, she banged her right elbow and wrist. A fan came by who claimed to be an EMT, he gave her a quick examination and said there didn't appear to be any swelling or damage outside of the impact itself. The drive home took a little longer than usual but it was more wet than white, I just stuck to the main roads and avoided the shortcuts. The snow had all but stopped by the time I got them home, when I got back to the city I was more than happy to be there. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 7

There was supposed to be a soccer game in Reading on Friday evening but earlier in the week it was postponed. The snowstorm on Monday caused a power outage at the Arena, the ice-making equipment malfunctioned and the rink itself literally melted. With several days required to make new ice and the Royals scheduled at home on Saturday and Sunday the soccer game was a casualty, it was rescheduled for February 20. As a result I was able to be with JPM for the division playoff game against Cedar Crest, the game ironically was played at Hempfield (assistant coach Earl "Papa" Boots called it "returning to the scene of the crime"). The evening would prove to be one of utter frustration as we lost 59-51. For most of the first half CC controlled play, they scored as many points in the second quarter as we did for the entire half. In the third quarter JPM battled back to tie but could never get over the hump, down the stretch it was all CC as they claimed the division title. In forty-two years of LL play this is only the third time Cedar Crest has made the league playoffs and their first division title since 1976 (!!!). In 2011 we beat Hempfield in a playoff for the division, a week later they beat us when it really mattered in the league title game. JPM's path to the championship in 2014 begins on Tuesday the 11th in the quarterfinals when we travel to Manheim Central HS, as one of the four division champions they earned to right to host the game. We haven't played Central since the league playoffs in 2008, before that you have to go back to the late 1980s. MC went 20-2 during the regular season, some would say they didn't play the caliber of competition we did but a record like that needs to be respected no matter what. A win over MC would put us in the semifinals against either Lebanon or Lancaster Catholic, we couldn't meet Cedar Crest again until the finals but that's a long way off. The concern for the moment is getting prepared for what should be a tough game in an unfamiliar gym on Tuesday night. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 6

Thursday morning lunch with Jenny in Quarryville, the trip was no trouble but remnants from Wednesday's weather were still in evidence on the side roads. In the afternoon we boarded the bus at McCaskey for the trip to Hempfield HS. This was the final game of the regular season and the goal was clear: win and qualify for league playoffs or lose and sit it out until the district tournament starts on the 19th. On this night in Landisville the Red Tornado was not denied as we defeated Hempfield 55-44. It was another typical McCaskey/Hempfield battle to the finish, both teams were in the same position in the standings and there was no quarter asked or given on either side. At halftime we were down by two but rallied to lead by three into the decisive fourth quarter . JPM posted three players in double figures as Antanee Pickard led with 17 and Kobe Gantz added 16 but it was Randolph Speller who spearheaded the victory, he scored ten of his thirteen in the final quarter. The win closes the regular season record at 13-3, the overall mark stands at 15-7. Shortly after we were done we got word that Cedar Crest had won their game over Penn Manor, that sets up a tiebreaker game for the division title on Friday night. In 2011 we defeated Hempfield in a similar playoff after splitting the season series but this time around we face a team we lost to twice during the regular schedule. An win gives us a home game against the runner-up from LL Section III in the first round, a loss would put us against the Section III champion in their gym (either way it's a one-and-done deal). What happens on Friday is anybody's guess, it's a quick turnaround with little time to prepare but both teams are in the same position. As they say on TV, "say tuned". Take care, thanks for reading.

February 1-5

With the Royals on the road and little else going on the weekend was quiet except for a lunch visit with Jenny on Saturday. Temperatures on Sunday reached into the 50s, a lot of the leftover dirty snow melted nicely. It all proved to be a cruel tease, overnight into Monday another round of that white stuff hit the area. It was still falling in early afternoon, word came down that the evening's game at McCaskey was postponed. Jenny was stuck at home as well, her transportation into town didn't run due to the weather. On Tuesday the newspaper said we got eight inches of snow, the total for the season is up to forty inches. The last few years we had remarkably little snowfall, we're certainly being punished for it now. In the evening we were at McCaskey for the game rescheduled from Monday, it was the final regular season home game. We had the usual Senior Night recognitions as Devyn Sloan, C.J. Gantz, Andre Dixon and Donovan Garcia were honored in pregame ceremonies. The boys had a chance to clinch a league playoff berth with a victory but visiting Cedar Crest ruined the party. JPM led by one after three quarters but in the fourth it was just about all CC as they outscored us 17-8 and won it 53-45. It was a great opportunity lost, after the game it was discussed at length in the locker room. The night's only good news came when Hempfield lost to Manheim Township, that result restored the three-way tie for first place in the division. Only the top two make the league playoffs, it all comes down to the final night when we play at Hempfield and Cedar Crest hosts Penn Manor. If we win and CC loses we'll finish first, if we win and CC wins we'll still qualify but play CC in a playoff game for first place. If we lose nothing else will matter because we'll be out. With a mark of 14-7 the club will almost assuredly be in the district tournament but the immediate concern is the league playoffs. Late Tuesday night freezing rain began to fall, by morning there were reports of downed power lines and tree limbs all around. By the time I went out the rain was over but the city streets were slushy, I saw a lot of the damage around town firsthand. Schools were closed once again, the game at Hempfield was likewise postponed and rescheduled for Thursday. The slate for this week was supposed to be Monday-Wednesday, now it's Tuesday-Thursday with the possibility of a Friday playoff game. The weather is not the only thing that is a mess. Take care, thanks for reading.