January 30-31

Friday night basketball at McCaskey for the regular season's final home game, the Red Tornado hosted Manheim Township. The JPM junior varsity continued their winning ways, keeping the league record spotless with a 71-59 victory. Before the varsity game we had the requisite Senior Night recognitions as La'Detrius Sibley, Brandon Allen, Tyler Owens, Kyaire Bynum, Elijah Brown, Marquan Dixon, Daizon Reid and Carlos Ramirez were honored. In the game itself JPM led by thirteen at the quarter and twenty at the half, that would prove to be the final margin in a 69-49 win. Randolph Speller had 16, Sibley added 13 and Kobe Gantz rounded out the double-figures club with 10. The overall record moves to 16-5, 13-2 within the league. Shortly after the game ended we got word that Cedar Crest had lost to Warwick in Lititz (that sounds mighty familiar), a result that pulls us even once again with CC in the division race. The season ends on February 3, we play at Hempfield while CC hosts Penn Manor. We could finish anywhere from first to third but only the top two make league playoffs so needless to say it's an important night all the way around. We had a similar situation in 2014 so it's a road most of the team has traveled before. Saturday was quiet except for lunch and a visit with Jenny, in the evening the Royals played the final game of a five-stop road trip. The club won all five to run the overall win streak to seven, the club's record stands at 28-13-2. The Royals return home on the 4th against Wheeling, the Florida Everblades visit for a three-in-three on the weekend. The ECHL schedule is always a strange animal: between January 19 and February 27 the Royals have only those four home dates, after the Florida series the club embarks on another five-game road swing. It all balances out eventually, in March the Royals play seven games at the Arena plus another three in April. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 27-29

Tuesday morning dawned with clear skies and bright sunshine, all the better for cleaning the leftover ice and snow from the car. In the evening we were at McCaskey, the boys hosted Penn Manor. The JV game between these teams the first time around was a one-point JPM win, on this night the game was again very competitive as the Red Tornado won by eight to keep the league record unblemished. The varsity game was over almost immediately after it started, JPM came out on fire and led after the first quarter 37-9. That margin fluctuated slightly over the last three quarters but Penn Manor was never able to mount any kind of rally, the final score was 95-67. Penn Manor deserves a lot of credit, this game looked for certain like it might be headed for the mercy-rule but they never quit. Coach Powell had all thirteen players available and they all played, Randolph Speller led all scorers with 22 (including seven three-point goals), Kobe Gantz had 18, Tyler Owens 16, Kyaire Bynum 13 and La'Detrius Sibley added 10. The victory is the club's fifteenth overall (equaling the '13-14 win total), the league mark stands at 12-2. The boys host Manheim Township on the 30th in the season's final home game, on February 3rd we finish the league schedule at Hempfield. The usual errand run was all that happened on Wednesday, on Thursday Jenny and her mother were in town for separate medical appointments. I had one myself at 8:45 (just routine, everything is good), Jenny's was at 9:00 and Helen's was at 10:30. Everything was done by 11:00, we made our way south and did lunch in Quarryville. In early evening we had some light snow but it moved on quickly, it didn't amount to any more than a dusting. There is a chance of some more on Sunday and Monday with temperatures not expected to get out of the teens. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 26

The Sunday night rain became overnight snow, Monday morning was largely a repeat of Saturday. There were reports of a major storm off the coast that was expected to hit hard through New York and New England but our area was expected to miss the brunt of it. I had my usual morning lunch at the mall, in the afternoon another round of flurries blew through the area. The McCaskey girls had a home game in the evening, a makeup game from the 22nd against Warwick. This game had been postponed under unusual circumstances, on the 22nd the JV game was in the second half when it was halted and the gym was evacuated because of a gas leak in the school's heating system (when we returned from Lititz that night the building was closed, we had received word in advance on what had happened). On this night the varsity game was the only order of business, with the prevailing weather conditions it was scheduled to start at 6:00. The snow was falling when I left the house at 5:00, had I been traveling any further I might have considered staying in but opportunities to see our girls play are rare. Between the weather and the early start the crowd was very sparse, at game time the scoreboard clock operator had not yet arrived. Head coach Brian McCloud's brother Gary keeps the scorebook for the girls' games, since I was present he asked me if I would handle the book for him if he ran the clock. At halftime I was talking to Jon Mitchell, he said it was a good thing I had been there. The game was an important one for JPM, they were trailing by nine entering the last quarter but rallied to win 53-49. The snow flurries were over by the time the game ended but it was COLD, I had to scrape some ice off the windshield before I could drive. The boys play at home on Tuesday and Friday. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 24-25

The Friday night weather moved on by Saturday morning but the damage was done, thanks to a coating of snow the city streets were sloppy and slushy. The first order of business was to clean the snow from the car, then I took a shower and called Jenny. All things considered it was good that we had done lunch on Friday, a trip south on this day may have been questionable. Got word that the game was still on, at 2:00 we departed for the trip north on 222 to Reading High School. Each January a special showcase event is played at RHS, this is our fourth year as a participant. Every time we visit Reading HS I run into people I know, not surprising since I've been involved in pro sports around Reading one way or another since 1978. We were scheduled to play at 4:00 (the third of the day's five games), when we arrived we were told that things were running about an hour behind because the referees for the day's first game had arrived late. Our opponent was Great Valley HS, a program we have no history with (they are from Malvern, about twenty miles or so west of Philadelphia). The game was up-and-down and back-and-forth all the way, JPM won it 74-69. Great Valley did not have a lot of height but they were sound fundamentally, very well-coached and just about everybody who played could shoot the ball. The most outstanding thing about this game was that Great Valley's starting five played virtually the ENTIRE GAME, the only time they substituted was when one of their guys fouled out with seventeen seconds remaining. Coach Powell only used three men off the bench but seven of the eight who played got into the scoring column. Kobe Gantz had the big day with 27 points, Randolph Speller had 14 and Brandon Allen (inserted into the starting lineup) added 13. The teams combined for twenty-two three-point-goals (eleven for each side), that is a huge number for a thirty-two minute game. Our non-league schedule is now complete at 3-3, the overall record stands at 14-5. The focus now is on the league schedule, the home stretch begins on Tuesday the 27th against Penn Manor. Sunday was a stay-in-and-do-nothing day, in the evening it started to rain. The forecast for the upcoming week is very unstable, what we'll actually get is anybody's guess. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 23

Had lunch with Jenny and her mother on Friday morning, she was supposed to come into town but the trip was canceled. It may actually work out for the best since there is nasty weather forecast overnight into Saturday and we're supposed to leave at 2:00 for our basketball game in Reading. Back in December Don and I had a meeting with a local sports complex about the possibility of moving our street hockey league indoors. Nothing definite has happened on that front as yet but the discussions led to the creation of a winter indoor "floor hockey" league. The complex is located about ten miles west of town, it opened in 2013 and is known as Spooky Nook Sports (or "the Nook"). The season began on the 16th, games are played on Friday nights and most of the eight teams in the league are players from our league at Reservoir Park. Fridays are obviously busy for me at this time of year but on this night I was able to attend and see what was happening. The games are played on one of the Nook's sport courts, an area used for various purposes like basketball and soccer. There is a padded wall on one side of the court, the other side is where the reserve players stand and the entire area is surrounded by protective netting. The games are played four-on-four plus goalies because it's a smaller surface than a regulation rink would be, the goal nets are the same ones we use at Reservoir Park. The whole environment is very different from what we're accustomed to but if it helps us establish a footprint it's for the best. The first game started at 6:00, there were four games played and we were done shortly after 9:30. Don was refereeing and his daughter Bri was running the scoreboard clock, I was not there in any official capacity but as the night progressed I ended up helping out as needed (I guess thirty-five years of experience in the field stands out). The season runs through March 6, basketball and the Royals will determine how often I'll be able to attend but I'll definitely be there when able. Light snow arrived during the evening, when I came out after the games there was a coating on the ground and on my car. The drive home was little trouble but when I got there I was glad to be, we'll see what Saturday morning brings. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 22

Thursday night basketball for JPM as we traveled to Lititz for a game with Warwick. Over the years we've enjoyed our share of success, we've also experienced our fair share of adversity and disappointment. Off the top of my head I would be hard-pressed to think of another loss (at least in recent years) more deflating than on this night in Lititz. We lost 44-43, the difference being two Warwick fouls shots made in the final seconds. Taken as just one loss it may not seem like a big deal, it's the way it happened that is upsetting. The club began its league season 3-0, in game #4 we lost to Cedar Crest and fell out of a tie for the division lead. We managed to keep pace and stay one game behind CC until they came to Lancaster, on that night we prevailed and pulled back even. Two nights later in Lititz all that hard work went down the tubes, the loss to Warwick effectively renders the win over CC moot and puts us right back where we were. There are still three games left in the league season and the club is still in a playoff position so it's not the end of the world, it merely means that the road to the postseason just got a lot tougher. The boys finish the non-league portion of the schedule on Saturday, on the 27th and 30th we play at home (Penn Manor and Manheim Township, respectively) before ending the league slate on February 3 at Hempfield. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 20-21

Made what would have been the normal Monday errand run on Tuesday morning, between that and the afternoon hockey game the day before the entire day had a weird feel to it. In the evening we were at McCaskey as the second round of divisional games got underway. In December we played at Cedar Crest, on this night it was their turn to travel south into Lancaster County. CC does not have a history of huge success but in recent years the culture has changed. In 2013 they made to the league title game (losing to JPM) and in 2014 they won the championship, they beat us twice during the regular season and in a divisional playoff game along the way. On this night it was an opportunity for the Red Tornado to end that four-game losing streak to CC and pull even in the league standings, the mission was accomplished but it wasn't easy. Crest took an early 5-0 lead but JPM rallied to lead by three at the quarter. At halftime CC led 25-23 but in the third quarter McCaskey outscored Crest 20-8 and led by ten at the buzzer. In the final period JPM would score just one field goal but make twelve-of-sixteen from the line as they held on for the tough 58-54 win. La'Detrius Sibley led the Red Tornado with 16, Kobe Gantz added 14 (eleven of them from the foul line) and Tyler Owens had 11. The overall mark improves to 13-4 and we're tied with CC in the league at 11-1. It's a huge win but it's only one win and it needs to be kept in perspective, a third meeting with CC somewhere down the line wouldn't be the least bit surprising. The boys are back in action on Thursday the 22nd at Warwick, on the 24th we play our final non-league game against Great Valley at Reading HS. When I came out after the game it was misting lightly and the car windshield was icy. Snow was the forecast for Wednesday, in the morning nothing had happened so I went to Jenny's house for a visit and lunch. It began to flurry as I was leaving to return home, by mid-afternoon it was coming in earnest. The evening news had reports of icy conditions and accidents all around, I had no plans so it was a perfect night to stay in and stay warm. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 19

It was rainy and very foggy when I went to bed on Sunday night but by morning it was all gone, the sun was breaking through the clouds when I left the house at 10:00. The Royals were at home for the annual MLK day game, after two games in Elmira on the weekend the Jackals made their sixth visit of the season to the Arena for the 1:05 rubber match. We had a little over 4500 in the house, a good number of them were youngsters since schools were closed for the holiday. Elmira got on the board first midway through the first period, three minutes later Mike Marcou evened the score at 1-1. Olivier Labelle gave the Royals the lead later in the period but the Jackals scored the second period's lone goal, entering the third period we were square at 2-2. With nine minutes to go the Royals received a power-play opportunity, Labelle lit the lamp on the man-advantage to give the Royals the lead. The Jackals pressed in the final minutes looking for the tying goal but Matt Hatch scored on a partial breakaway to ice the game as the Royals took it 4-2. Connor Knapp was the winning goaltender as the Royals improve to 23-13-2, 12-8-1 at home. The ECHL All-Star Game is on the 21st in Orlando, Cam Reid will represent the Royals. After the break the boys play their next five games on the road, the next home game is on February 4 against Wheeling. It was still overcast when I came outside after the game, since we play so few early afternoon games it always feels strange to drive home from the Arena in daylight. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 15-18

It was bright and clear on Thursday morning, after lunch I stopped by the car wash. The car had been very dirty from the snow we had on the 6th, the Monday rain helped somewhat but with the forecast good for the next few days I decided to give it a proper run-through. On Friday it was a basketball night at JPM as the boys wrapped up a busy week with the final crossover game of the league season. Solanco was the opponent, in the JV game the Red Tornado kept the league record unblemished with a 76-55 win. The varsity game was never in doubt from the word Go as JPM rolled to an easy 90-41 victory. We were up thirteen at the quarter and by thirty at halftime, the mercy rule was invoked midway through the third quarter. Coach Powell had eleven players in uniform, they all played and all scored. La'Detrius Sibley led with 21, Kobe Gantz had 17, Elijah Brown 16 and Tyler Owens added 10. Izaiah Baretta (who also plays JV) scored his first points as a varsity player, he finished with eight. The game started right around 7:30 and with the mercy rule factored in it was over shortly after 8:30, I was actually home well before 9:00 (highly unusual even for a home date). The league record stands at 10-1, overall at 12-4. Divisional play kicks back in on Tuesday the 20th when Cedar Crest comes to town, on Thursday we play at Warwick and on the 24th we play at Reading HS in that annual showcase event we've been in the last few years. The rest of the weekend was quiet except for a Saturday lunch visit with Jenny, on Sunday it was rainy and foggy just about all day. The Royals split a pair of games in Elmira over the weekend, losing on Friday and winning via shootout on Saturday. The Jackals visit the Arena for a 1:05 holiday game on Monday. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 13-14

Not much going on Tuesday, on Wednesday morning Jenny had an appointment in Willow Street and we had our usual lunch together. In the afternoon we boarded the bus at McCaskey for our second trip of the season into Lebanon County. In December we played at Cedar Crest, this time we traveled a few miles further to the city of Lebanon proper. When the league started in '72 McCaskey and Lebanon were division-mates, since both schools were former members of the Central Penn League the already-existing rivalry continued unabated. Several years ago Lebanon dropped our of our division due to league realignment, since then we haven't played them as frequently but the rivalry has remained. A game night in their gym has historically never been an easy assignment, this occasion would prove to be no different. The JV game was an instant classic in itself, at halftime we were down 29-10 and the locker room was no place for the faint of heart. In the second half JPM turned the game around dramatically and won 65-60 to keep the league record unblemished. In the varsity game JPM won 59-56 but it was uphill all the way, we trailed by five at the quarter and eleven at the half. The deficit was four going into the last quarter, Randolph Speller spearheaded the comeback by scoring twelve of his game-high fifteen points in the fourth period. Kobe Gantz had fifteen as well, he and Ran were the only JPM players in double figures. The game was testy all night long, as the final buzzer sounded angry words and shoves were exchanged. The officials and coaching staffs quickly got order restored and the teams to their respective locker rooms, the customary postgame handshake line never took place. The win brings the mark to 9-1 in the league and 11-4 overall, the boys are back at home hosting Solanco on Friday the 16th. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 12

The new week started with a steady rain that made the morning errand run largely miserable, in the evening we were at McCaskey. The boys played on Sunday in Steelton and lost to Cedar Cliff 53-41. Marty was there, he called on Sunday night and told me all about it. Over the years Mid-Penn Conference officiating crews have become notorious for insinuating themselves into games, he said this was a classic example. It wasn't about two teams competing, it was about three guys blowing whistles. I have witnessed ghastly examples of it myself so I can't say I was entirely surprised, it certainly isn't anything new. On this night Conestoga Valley was the opponent as we began the league season's second half. The JV game was spirited to the end before JPM prevailed to stay unbeaten in league play, in the varsity game the Red Tornado held serve with a 77-64 win. CV came in with a sub-.500 mark but they played well, they are a much better club than their record would indicate. Coach Powell used nine played and eight got into the scoring column: Kobe Gantz led with 23, Randolph Speller 21, Kyaire Bynum had eight, Tyler Owens added seven, Brandon Allen had six and La'Detrius Sibley, Elijah Brown and Daizon Reid had four apiece. The boys improve to 8-1 in the league and 10-4 overall. the week continues with crossover games on Wednesday in Lebanon (never a fun experience) and at home on Friday against Solanco. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 10-11

Saturday lunch with Jenny and her mother, in the evening we were back in downtown Reading for a weekend double-dip with one of the league's newest franchises. The East Coast Hockey League began with five teams in 1988, when several western-based clubs joined in 2003 the league became officially known as the ECHL. During the offseason in 2014 the league absorbed several franchises from the now-defunct Central League, on this night the Brampton Beast made their first appearance at the Arena. Brampton, Ontario is only the second Canadian city to field an ECHL club, from 2004-2011 Victoria, British Columbia was in the league. Saturday was the annual Pink In The Rink game for breast cancer awareness, it is always one of the most popular dates on the home schedule. Before the game former Royal Malcolm MacMillan (2005-2008) became the newest inductee into the club's Wall Of Honor. The Royals fell behind 1-0 late in the first period, early in the second Pat Mullane scored to tie the game. The Beast struck twice in short order to take a two-goal lead, late in the period Sean Wiles found the net to make it 3-2. In the third period the Royals had their chances but could not pull even, Connor Knapp took the loss as a Brampton empty-netter in the final minute clinched a 4-2 Beast win. In the Sunday rematch Martin Ouellette got the start and the win as the Royals earned a weekend split. Andrew Johnston gave the club a 1-0 lead early on, goals from Matt Hatch (first-year pro from Union College) and Sean Wiles upped the advantage to three at the first intermission. The Beast fought back to get within one entering the third period but goals from Adam Hughesman and Sean Wiles just twenty-two seconds apart broke it open. Kevin Walrod put the cherry on the sundae with a score in the final minute as the Royals took it 6-2. The club's record moves to 21-12-2, 11-8-1 at the Arena. The next home date is Monday the 19th, the annual Martin Luther King Day game against the Elmira Jackals. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 9

Friday night basketball at McCaskey as we reached the midpoint of the LL league schedule. When the league was formed in 1972 it was basically the old Lancaster County League realigned with the addition of the schools from Lebanon County plus McCaskey from the old Central Penn League. From the very beginning McCaskey was the program with all the notoriety, to the suburban schools we were viewed as The Big Bad Bully Boys From The City. A case could be made that over the years no other program has rivaled JPM quite like Hempfield has. Year in and year out it doesn't matter what the records are, when these teams meet it is always a hot ticket. On this night at JPM the clubs went head-to-head dead even in the league standings. The night began with a Red Tornado victory in the JV game, in the varsity contest Hempfield had the early advantage but a late flurry gave JPM a two-point lead at the quarter. We were up by four at the half and stretched it to ten at the end of the third, it was only in the fourth quarter that JPM was able to pull away. The final score was 72-56 but that really doesn't tell the story, this game was your typical JPM-HHS fifteen-round fight to the finish. Kobe Gantz led the Red Tornado with 23, La'Detrius Sibley had 19 and Kyaire Bynum added 18. Kyaire is in his third year as a varsity player and has spent much of that time as a reserve, on this night Coach Powell inserted him into the starting lineup and he responded in a big way. With the victory the club's record moves to 7-1 in the league and 9-3 overall. The boys play a rare Sunday game on the weekend, it's part of a showcase event similar to the one we appear in at Reading High each year. Cedar Cliff (from suburban Harrisburg) is the opponent, the game is at Steelton-Highspire HS and I am absent because the Royals are at home. The league schedule continues on the 12th with the second round of crossover games, Conestoga Valley visits on Monday. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 7-8

According to the newspaper we got two inches of the ugly white stuff on Tuesday, with wind chills figured in it was downright arctic on Wednesday. I went to Jenny's place in the morning, the drive from the city wasn't much of an issue but the parking lots in her complex had not been plowed. The snow was packed down from other traffic but it was still a mess. In the evening we made our first trip north in the new year, it was a hockey night in downtown Reading. The Royals hosted the Wheeling Nailers for the fourth of their six regular-season visits. The walk between the parking garage and the Arena was absolutely brutal, you know it's bad when going indoors into an ICE ARENA is warmer than being outside. Cam Reid gave the Royals a 1-0 first-period lead but the Nailers evened it early in the second period. In the latter part of the period Olivier Labelle reestablished the Royals' advantage, early in the third Jordan Heywood and Ryan Cruthers scored a minute apart to make it 4-1. Wheeling got one back but Adam Hughesman's empty-netter in the final moments cemented a 5-2 Royals victory. Connor Knapp was the winning goaltender as the club's record improves to 20-10-2, at the midpoint of the home schedule the mark on home ice is 10-7-1. The Royals are on an 11-2 run since December 6, they play in Wheeling on Friday the 9th before returning home on Saturday the 10th. The weather on Thursday wasn't much better than Wednesday, with nothing special going on the morning errand run was about all that happened. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 5-6

The new week began as usual with morning lunch at the mall, Jenny was in town on business and we met up over her lunch break. In the evening we were at McCaskey, the girls team hosted Harrisburg in a non-league game. The boys used to play Harrisburg but that series ended in 2012, every time we played them on their floor there was controversy in one form or another. This was the second time this season I had a chance to see the girls play which is rare considering how often their games coincide with the boys' schedule. It was not a good night for JPM, the JV lost by ten and the varsity by thirty. Harrisburg is supposed to be very good and they looked it, our girls have done well this year but on this night they were outmatched. There was talk of snow overnight into Tuesday, it arrived in the early morning hours. By all accounts the early commute was a mess, when I went out later it wasn't much better but I managed to muddle through. School was in and the evening's athletic schedule went on as planned, at 5:00 we met up for the short bus ride to Manheim Township. The JV won by twenty-five but the varsity game was a battle to the end before JPM prevailed 62-58. We were up by nine at halftime, MT rallied to within three going into the last quarter but the Red Tornado was able to hold on. Coach Powell used nine players and seven got into the scoring column: Kobe Gantz had 20, La'Detrius Sibley 11, Elijah Brown 9, Randolph Speller 8, Tyler Owens and Kyaire Bynum 6 each and Brandon Allen 2. The victory brings the regular season halfway home at 8-3, the league mark moves to 6-1. The league season finishes its first half on Friday as the boys play at home versus Hempfield. The snow brought bitter cold temperatures with it, the overnight forecast was for single digits with wind chills well below zero. Take care, thanks for reading.

January 1-4

2015 began as most new years do: quietly at home with wall-to-wall college football. On Friday the 2nd we convened at McCaskey for the first bus ride of the calendar year, the boys played at Penn Manor. The JV squad stayed unbeaten in league play with a tight 65-64 win, in the varsity game JPM won handily 64-38. We trailed by three at the quarter but a 25-5 second quarter swung the pendulum. Only two players hit double figures (Kobe Gantz 17, Elijah Brown 12) but the balance underneath was strong, La'Detrius Sibley and Tyler Owens had eight apiece and Randolph Speller and reserve Marquan Dixon chipped in six each. The win improves the league mark to 5-1 and 7-3 overall, the club hits the season's midpoint on the 6th with another road game at Manheim Township. With the Royals away (and victorious on both Friday and Saturday) the rest of the weekend was uneventful save for Saturday lunch with Jenny and her mother. It was all just as well, Saturday was a miserably rainy day and Sunday wasn't much better. I heard a rumor that Sunday was supposed to have some significance because of something that happened in 1957 but you couldn't prove it by me, I stopped caring about that a long time ago. Take care, thanks for reading.