December 29-31

Friday afternoon: had my mother back at the doctor, this was the makeup date for the appointment snafu from earlier in the week. Snow moved through the area overnight into Saturday, the morning drive to Quarryville was sloppy but manageable (the snow itself was very light and powdery, it brushed off the car with little effort). In the evening we were back at the Arena for the final game of the calendar year, the Adirondack Thunder was the opponent for the sixth of their seven visits. ADK scored early in the first but Brian Morgan knotted matters late in the period, in the second the Royals took advantage of a major penalty power play. Michael Huntebrinker put the club ahead 2-1 on the man-up, moments after the penalty expired he lit the lamp again to make it 3-1. Early in the third Morgan netted his second of the night but the Thunder battled back to within 4-3, in the closing minutes Huntebrinker hit the empty net to complete his first professional hattrick. John Muse got the start in net and earned the 5-3 win. Emotions ran high in the latter part of the game, on the night the teams combined for sixty-five minutes in penalties (forty-six of them in the third period alone). The club improves to 16-13-2, 11-5 at home. The boys begin a five-game homestand on January 5 when '16-17 playoff foe Brampton visits. The calendar year expired quietly on Sunday with pro football games on TV, with outside temperatures in the teens and wind chills hovering around zero or lower there was absolutely no reason to go outdoors. There was supposed to be a New Years celebration with fireworks in downtown Lancaster, anyone who was there in those weather conditions had to be a masochist. Thanks for reading, everyone. See you in 2018, take care.

December 26-28

Tuesday morning: took my mother to a doctor appointment only to learn that it had been canceled since the doctor she was supposed to see is no longer associated with the office (one would think someone could have called and informed her of this when it happened back in OCTOBER). On Wednesday night we were at McCaskey for opening night play in our annual holiday tournament. In other places it's not unusual for the hosting team to play an easy touch in the opener and insure a berth in the championship game but at McCaskey it's the other way around. This edition of the tournament featured Oxon Hill (from suburban Washington, DC), John Bartram (Philadelphia) and perennial participant York High. Oxon Hill Hill beat York in the first game, in the nightcap we lost to Bartram 67-59. Isiah Speller had 18 and Makai Ortiz added 14, the only two players in double digits for JPM. On Thursday (in my absence) the boys lost to York in the tournament consolation game, the record after eight games stands at 2-6. There's an expression for what's going on, it's called "growing pains". Thursday night found me at the Arena for hockey, the Royals hosted one of the league's new clubs as the Worcester Railers made the first of their eight scheduled appearances. Worcester, Massachusetts was in the AHL from 1994-2015, that franchise fell victim to the AHL's western migration. The Royals entered the night on a five-game winless streak which came to a screeching halt in short order. Michael Huntebrinker gave the club a 1-0 lead four minutes in, eight seconds later Jimmy DeVito made it 2-0. Midway through the period Chris McCarthy lit the lamp, before the period ended Worcester cut the deficit to 3-1. In the second period scores by Adam Schmidt and Nolan Zajac bookended a single Railers marker, Matt Willows' goal in the third put the wraps on a 6-2 win. John Muse (back from the Phantoms) was the winning goaltender in his first Royals appearance since December 1. The club improves to 15-13-2 (10-5 at home), the next home game is on the 30th versus Adirondack. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 22-25

Made my way south to Jenny's place on Friday, it was her choice to do the holiday gift exchange on this day. This is a time of year that is of no concern to me, many years ago something happened in the month of December that destroyed the feeling and it has never come back. Jenny is the only reason I would pay any mind to it, I make sure she isn't disappointed. She didn't ask for anything specific but she liked what I got for her. In the evening we were back in downtown Reading as the Royals opened a two-game series with the Manchester Monarchs. This was the first two of four visits for the Mons at the Arena, the other two are part of another back-to-back scheduled in March. Manchester entered the weekend with the division''s best record and it wasn't difficult to see why, they won both games in relatively easy fashion. In the Friday opener the Royals took an early lead on a Michael Huntebrinker goal but the Monarchs rang up three in a row in the second to lead 3-1. Matt Willows brought the Royals to within one midway through the game but a Monarch score late in the second and another early in the third put it out of reach, the final count was 5-2. On Saturday the morning weather was rainy and gloomy which was the perfect backdrop for the evening's events at the Arena. The game on this night was never really in doubt, the Monarchs scored the first four goals and won easily 6-2. Ryan Penny and newcomer Jimmy DeVito scored for the Royals, Devito played in college at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY) when Royals head coach Kirk MacDonald was an assistant coach there (K-Mac is himself an RPI alum). Mark Dekanich was the goalie of record in both games for the Royals as the club's losing streak reaches five games, four of those on home ice. The overall record stands at 14-13-2 (9-5 at the Arena), we're back home on the 28th against the new Worcester Railers. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 20-21

Wednesday lunch with Jenny, in the evening it was a basketball night at McCaskey as the Red Tornado hosted Penn Manor. The teams entered the evening tied in the division standings at 1-1 and given the relative inexperience our club has at the varsity level this game couldn't be considered a "gimme". The night began with a scintillating JV game, Dante Wilson's rebound and putback at the buzzer gave JPM a 61-59 win. The varsity game was never really in doubt, the boys came out running and were never seriously challenged. We were up by thirteen at the quarter and twenty-two at the half, the final was 77-52. Isiah Speller and Tallian Lehr led JPM with fourteen points each, Makai Ortiz and Jahsaan Geaves had ten apiece, Brian McKenzie and Bryam Menendez added seven each and Eddie Simmons and Jordan Washington each had four. Ajani Simmons broke the "doubles" pattern with three points, Gary Smith and Zakeye Cooper rounded out the scoring with two points each. The club plays at Conestoga Valley on Friday the 22nd but I am absent for ice hockey in Reading. Thursday (much like Tuesday had been) was quiet except for the morning errand run. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 18-19

Monday lunch at the mall, in late afternoon we convened at McCaskey. The boys lost on Saturday in Harrisburg, on this night we traveled to Lebanon for the season's second league game. The history between JPM and Lebanon dates back prior to the formation of the LL League, the schools were together in the old Central Penn League in the 1960s and there has rarely been any love lost. The night began with a victory for the JV squad, their first of the season. In the main event the varsity earned its first W but it wasn't easy. At halftime we were up by eleven, the lead was twelve entering the last quarter. Lebanon put on a furious rally but JPM held on for a tough 59-56 decision. Eleven players got into the game, ten hit the scoring column: Ajani Simmons led with 11, Tallian Lehr and Eddie Simmons had nine each, Brian McKenzie and Bryam Menendez added seven apiece, Makai Ortiz scored six, Gary Smith had five, Jordan Washington and Jahsaan Greaves each had a field goal and Isiah Speller had a very rare off-night with one point at the foul line. It was another night where the floor seemed unlevel, Lebanon outscored us at the line 20-7. It's never a bad thing to win in Lebanon, it's our longest trip within the division (about 25 miles give-or-take, Cedar Crest is the exact same route but about three miles less) and the bus ride back is always a little more palatable after a win. The club's mark is even at 1-1 in the division and 1-3 overall, we're back home on Wednesday the 20th versus Penn Manor. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 15-17

The weekend of December 15-17 will be remembered for some time and for reasons more bad than good. For starters it was a three-in-three hockey weekend at the Arena (one of three on the schedule) and for seconds the Friday weather and travel was a disaster. There was snow in the forecast, predictions were for a dusting to an inch. I had a haircut appointment at 12:30, in the afternoon the snow arrived as I was going south to Jenny's place. We made our way back around town and encountered nothing but backup after backup, there wasn't a road I could get on that wasn't slowed to a crawl. We never moved at any appreciable speed until we got onto 222 outside of Brownstown (a back-road shortcut I know), we finally made it to the Arena at 6:00, one hour before faceoff and an hour later than normal. The hell of it all is that conditions weren't really all that bad, everybody just freaked out over one lousy inch of snow. If you are going to live in this region you have to know how to drive in this stuff or else stay the hell off the road and out of the way. The Wheeling Nailers were the opponent on Friday and Saturday, these games concluding a stretch of four straight home dates for the Royals with Wheeling as the visitor. The Royals are somewhat shorthanded due to injuries and AHL callups, the roster had some new faces added as free agents from the Southern Professional Hockey League. In the Friday opener the Royals took a 1-0 lead in the first thanks to a goal from Scott Tanski, late in the period Matt Willows and Michael Huntebrinker scored eight seconds apart to up the lead to three. Willows struck again in the second to make it 4-0, that would be the final as Mark Dekanich earned his first shutout of the season and the second for the club. On Saturday the leftover slop melted down nicely, driving was absolutely no issue whatever. On this night Dek was in goal again but Wheeling led 3-0 in the third, goals from Adam Schmidt and newcomer Brian Morgan (from SPHL Pensacola) brought the Royals within one. A Wheeling empty-netter ended the rally as the Nailers left town with the 4-2 decision. On Sunday the Adirondack Thunder visited for the fifth of their seven games at the Arena, new goaltender Tyler Parks got the start in net. Parks was recently added from SPHL Peoria since John Muse is on recall to the AHL Phantoms, on this day his Royals debut did not go well. The Thunder scored three goals in the first period and were never headed as they won going away 6-2, Adam Schmidt and Derek Whitmore scored for the Royals. The club's mark stands at 14-10-2, 9-3-0 at the Arena. The end of the weekend also marks the end of a seven-game home stretch against either ADK or WHL (although we see the Thunder once more at home before the end of 2017), the boys are back at home versus Manchester for a back-to-back on the 22nd and 23rd. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 13-14

Had the usual lunch visit with Jenny on Wednesday, on Thursday night we were back at McCaskey. Most of the preseason prognostications have Hempfield, Manheim Township and Cedar Crest as the top three finishers in our division of the LL League, the order varies according to who you listen to. We are not expected to be in the running due to the overall inexperience we have at the varsity level and maybe they're right but the journey should not be dull. On this night Cedar Crest visited for the  league opener and the result probably wouldn't have surprised many. JPM lost 61-46 but for three quarters the game was competitive, CC pulled away in the fourth period thanks to foul shooting. We were whistled for seventeen fouls on the night while Cedar Crest was called for only six (in thirty-two minutes of play???). On the floor the game was dead even, each team scored forty-three points. At the line we were 3-for-5, CC was 18-for-23. It's utterly amazing how similar plays are called differently depending on which end of the court it occurs and quite frankly it's been going on for years so it's not entirely a revelation. It's simply hard to win when you have to spend all night running uphill because the floor is tilted. Isiah Speller led JPM with fifteen points, he was the only Red Tornado in double figures. The boys are back in action on Saturday afternoon for a non-league game in Harrisburg, I am absent for hockey in Reading. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 11-12

Brilliant sunshine on Sunday helped to melt down most of the mess from Saturday, on Monday morning I stopped by Reservoir Park. The dek hockey rink was completely clear except for a thin crust along the boards on the penalty box side, an area that rarely gets any prolonged sun. Had a game been necessary in the evening we would have been good to go, I could have pushed the snow into the center of the rink where the sun would have melted it down in good order. Luckily none of it was needed because the season is over and there aren't many who are upset about it. I spent my evening indoors at McCaskey with the basketball season opener and the start of my 30th year on the mic. The gym was built in 1973, in 2013 new lights and seating areas were installed and over this past summer the playing floor was redone and new scoreboards were added. Every year we play a non-league schedule that would make other teams cringe, on this night Chester (a perennial powerhouse and head coach Steve "Bird" Powell's alma mater) was the opponent. Coach Powell had cancer surgery in 2014 and his health is an ongoing concern, as a result there have been some changes within the coaching staff. The new head coach of the JV squad is a young man named Ray Lewis, former JV boss Mike Mitchell is acting head coach at the varsity level. During the varsity game Bird was present on the bench but Mike was entrusted with the rights the head coach usually receives. The JV squad lost 54-41, in the varsity game JPM came out on the wrong end of a 78-56 verdict. It was a two-point game at halftime, in the third Chester kicked it into another gear and the Red Tornado couldn't keep up. This is a very young team and the club made its share of mistakes but there was also a lot to like so there is reason for optimism going forward, it's all a matter of getting everyone on the same page. There are thirteen players on the roster (eight returnees) and ten of them got into the scoring column: Isiah Speller (the only returnee who did NOT play JV in '16-17) and Ajani Simmons had 12 each, Tallian Lehr added ten, Brian McKenzie and newcomer Eddie Simmons had six each, Gary Smith had three, Bryam Menendez, Isaiah Thomas and Makai Ortiz each had two and Zakeye Cooper made the book by hitting one-of-two at the foul line. The boys are back at home on Thursday the 14th for the league opener against Cedar Crest. On Tuesday night the girls' basketball team played its home opener against Reading High, it was possibly the lone chance I'll get to see them during the regular season. Head Coach Brian McCloud has his own reconstruction project going with a lot of new players, on this night the result was on the good side as the varsity won 72-70. As I was walking to the car after the game the wind was whipping around and it was bitterly cold. Did I mention how glad I am that dek hockey is over until spring? Take care, thanks for reading.

December 6-10

Wednesday night at the Arena, the Royals were at home for the second of four straight home dates against Wheeling. The clubs had met over the weekend for a pair of games in Wheeling, there was some ugliness in the second game that resulted in several suspensions. On this night there was some leftover testiness even though none of the punished players were in the lineup, at one point in the third period the respective head coaches had a verbal confrontation that thankfully went no further. Nolan Zajac gave the Royals a 1-0 lead early in the first period, Alex Krushelnyski's marker late in the period extended the advantage to two. The Nailers got on the board in the second but from there Mark Dekanich and the defense held the fort for a tough 2-1 victory. The club improves to 8-1 at home (avenging their lone home loss in the process) and 12-7-2 overall, the club plays its next two on the road before returning for a three-in-three on December 15 (Friday and Saturday versus Wheeling, Sunday against Adirondack). On Thursday I stopped by basketball practice at McCaskey in late afternoon to pick up the scorebooks and a team roster from Coach Powell. Right now we have twenty-four players on the organizational roster, thirteen on the varsity and twelve on the JV with one player going both ways. It's hard to say what kind of team we'll have, in '16-17 the program's 7-14 mark was its worst since 1994. We have eight returnees who have varsity experience but most of them were chiefly JV players, who will step up and claim starting positions remains to be seen. Our teams never lack for talent or athleticism but this year's will be very inexperienced at least at the start. The journey begins on the 11th at home against Chester in the first game of our typically tough non-league schedule. When I left school I went directly to the rink where the fall dek hockey season came to an end. The Owls defeated the Kings 4-3 to claim the West Division title scoring the winning goal with twenty-seven seconds left. The season started on October 3 and ended sixty-six days later, as the weekend played out it was probably not a minute too soon. On Saturday the first major weather event of the season dumped five inches of snow in our area, it began in late morning and peaked during the later afternoon/early evening hours. I was with Jenny for a lunch visit, when I got home around 3:00 the snow was beginning to fall in earnest and I was very glad to be in and warm. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 1-5

The last month of 2017 started with an open weekend, the Royals were on the road finishing a three-game trip at 1-1-1. On Monday we were at Reservior Park for game #3 of the West Finals, the Kings staved off elimination with a victory over the Owls. We set game #4 for Tuesday night despite a weather forecast that was less than favorable, for most of Tuesday it looked like we might get lucky. The rain was supposed to start around noontime and stay for most of the day, had that happened there would have been no controversy whatsoever but (of course) it didn't go down like that at all. The rain did not arrive until 4:00 or so, at that hour I was at McCaskey. The boys basketball team was leaving for a road scrimmage at 4:30, I had planned to make the trip had there been no hockey. At the very least it gave me an opportunity to touch base with the coaches and bring them up to speed on when I will be absent because of the Royals (as it stands I'll have seven absences, five of them are away games). The bus left at 4:30 (minus me), by then the rain was coming steadily and there no question the hockey game would be postponed until Thursday. Had the system arrived earlier as expected I could have gone to the scrimmage but all I got instead was an unwanted evening at home. Take care, thanks for reading.