Page 7 - The Hockey Academy News December 2018

Wild Jr’s Look to Improve in TSecond Half of the Season
by Cam Bomal
he Maine Wild’s season so far has been a tough one but its not due to a lack of effort. The team has been battling the injury bug up throughout
the start of the season as a couple of key players have missed significant time due to injury. The team has started this season with a 4-17-1-2 record but some of those wins have been against some pretty solid teams. In fact the Wild have beaten the Long Beach Sharks (9-9-2) twice this season. The Wild currently sit tied for 5th place in the NA3HL’s Coastal Division with the Cape Cod Islanders(5-18-1). The Coastal Division has been one of the deepest divisions, in terms of team records, in the NA3HL this year. Despite the rocky start, Chandler Bilodeau, Luke Church, and Dylan Demers are averaging close to a point per game apiece. As Bilodeau has 9 goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 24 games, Church has 7 goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 24 games, and Dylan Demers has 8 assists in 10 games.
“Our team has been faced with a lot of challenges to start the season. We have unfortunately experienced
several injuries along with some inconsistent play. We have steadily been playing better Hockey and we have seen a lot of individual development. We look forward to playing some good hockey heading into the league showcase and the Christmas break” added Head Coach Jeff Tory.
RECAP: Stars Jr’s Halfway Through Season
by Cam Bomal
The New England Stars have had a strong season thusfarandcurrentlysit3rdintheNA3HL’sCoastal Division which is playing as one of the deepest divisions in the NA3HL this year. They currently sit behind the L/A Nordiques(22-1-0) who are currently 1st overall in the entire NA3HL standings and the Northeast
Generals(17-3-0-1) currently 6th in the league overall. The Stars boast an (12-8-1) record this season with a .595 winning percentage which is good for top 15 in the entire league. The Stars duo of Michael Lempiainen (9-17-26) and James Wilson (9-18-27) have lead the way for the Stars combining for 53 points in 21 games. Both players are also averaging well over a point a game. The Stars currently have 6 players operating at .75 points per game or more. They have also received strong goaltending from the trio of Cedric Joubert (.906 SV%), Matthew Marini (.906 SV%), and veteran Tim Pesek (.953 SV%). All three goalies have combined for four shutouts in the teams 21 games played. Overall the Stars have had a strong balanced attack all season long between strong defense and offense. The Stars are averaging over 3 goals per game, while just allowing 2.5 goals through the teams first 21 games. The Stars are currently 6-4 over there last 10 games.
“We have progressed pretty well so far this season. We have a lot of new and younger players that are still acclimating themselves to the demands of our league. We have seen a lot of improvement and it is our goal to be playing our best hockey in the second half of our season.” - Head Coach Darryl Green
DECEMBER 2018 | THEHOCKEYACADEMY.COM 7