Eastern Junior Hockey League

Boston, MA- The Eastern Junior Hockey League season is in full swing after the Bruins Shootout and at the end of the tournament, the Valley Jr. Warriors, Junior Bruins, and the Middlesex Islanders rose above the rest with undefeated records.

The host Junior Bruins began their season in fine fashion, surviving a close call against the Connecticut Oilers with a 3-2 overtime win and then posting a 2-1 win over Apple Core. The Bruins finished with a 2-0 shutout win over the Philadelphia Revolution on Sunday.

The Valley Jr. Warriors continued their strong play with two wins in Marlborough. On Saturday, the Warriors bounced EJHL heavyweight Jersey Hitmen 3-1. Sunday saw Valley blank the Bay State Breakers 2-0.

Despite the loss to Valley, the Breakers still had an excellent weekend, kicking off the tournament with a 3-2 shootout win over the Rochester Stars and following that with another 3-2 win over the Portland Jr. Pirates.

Rochester’s other games were a mixed bag, with the Stars falling to South Shore 4-3 but beating the Oilers 5-4.

The Islanders Hockey Club hit the ground running, reeling off wins over the Oilers on Friday and the South Shore Kings on Sunday.

The New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs began the Ryan Frew era on Friday with a 5-4 win over the Springfield Pics and a 4-1 triumph over Philadelphia. The only blemish came on Saturday with they fell to the Jersey Hitmen 4-2 in a rematch of last year’s championship series.

The Hitmen also started off the weekend with a 6-1 win over the Boston Bandits on Friday.

Springfield rebounded on Saturday with a 4-1 win over Portland.

Apple Core picked up wins over Portland (4-2 on Friday) and the Bandits (2-1 on Saturday).

WEEKEND PREVIEW: The Bandits start things off on Wednesday when they host South Shore at 1:30 PM prior to a three-game road trip, playing the Islanders on Friday, the Breakers on Sunday, and the Bruins next Wednesday. The Monarchs travel to Bay State on Friday before playing a two-game set in Rochester. Apple Core hosts the Oilers on Friday night before beginning a weekend series at Valley. The Oilers then host South Shore for two. Bay State and the Bruins clash in Marlboro on Saturday. Springfield plays a pair in Philadelphia and the Hitmen travel to Portland for a weekend series. All games will be broadcast on FastHockey.com.

PROSPECTS GAME ON TAP: Valley Jr. Warriors teammates Ryan Fitzgerald and Devin Tringale will appear along with Junior Bruins forward Frank Vatrano in the inaugural USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game will take place in Buffalo, NY, on Saturday. Joining them will be New York Apple Core alum Steve Santini.
-Mike Klein, 26 September 2012