Eastern Junior Hockey League

Boston, MA- The EJHL capped off a tremendous weekend filled with upsets that saw the last three undefeated teams fall.

The Rochester Stars hosted the Valley Jr. Warriors and came away with a weekend sweep. Saturday saw the Stars take home a 6-1 win and they followed it up with an equally impressive 4-2 victory on Sunday. Last weekend’s series represented the first losses of the season for the Warriors.

The Islanders Hockey Club traveled to Philadelphia for a series with the Revolution and came away with three points. On Saturday, the Islanders rallied from a 2-0 deficit after the first period to force overtime, but the Revs bagged the win in the shootout. Sunday was a different story as the Islanders rebounded for a 6-0 win that saw Mark Hochman pick up his first win of the season.

The Junior Bruins played four games, including a three on the road, and going 3-1. The Bruins started off the week with a 3-2 win over the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs at home. Saturday saw the Connecticut Oilers hand the team their first loss of the season, 7-4, but the Bruins rebounded, beating the Hitmen 3-2 on Sunday and Apple Core 4-3 on Monday.

In their other action, the Hitmen picked up a convincing win over the Oilers on Thursday.

The Boston Bandits and Portland Jr. Pirates met for a pair in Maine and came away with a split. The Bandits took the opener on Saturday 4-2, but Portland turned the tables and picked up their first win of the season on Sunday, 2-1.

Apple Core hosted the South Shore Kings and took the opening contest on Saturday, but the Kings took two points home from the weekend by winning the closing match on Sunday.

Bay State hosted the Springfield Pics for two games and once again, both teams took home a win. Bay State gave the Pics a rude welcome on Saturday, winning 4-2, but Springfield skated away with a 5-2 win on Sunday.

WEEKEND PREVIEW: The Boston Bandits and New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs kick things off in Hooksett at 1:30 on Wednesday afternoon. Philadelphia visit the Hitmen on Wednesday at 7:00 PM. The Monarchs Showcase will take place from Friday to Sunday at the Tri-Town Ice Arena in Hooksett. Starting things off will be the Valley Jr. Warriors and Junior Bruins at noon. Also, the Connecticut Oilers visit the Boston Bandits for a weekend series and the Philadelphia Revolution will play two games in Springfield against the Pics over the weekend. Check EasternJunior.com for the full schedule. All games will be broadcast on FastHockey.com.

ALUMNI NEWS: Steven Swavely (University of Maine/ Jersey Hitmen) was named Hockey East Rookie of the Week. Sam Marotta (Merrimack College/ South Shore Kings) was named Defensive Player of the Week. Maine senior Joey Diamond (New York Apple Core) was named one of USCHO’s ten forwards to watch for the upcoming NCAA season. Doug Carr (UMASS-Lowell/ South Shore) appeared on the goaltenders list. Mark Zengerle (University of Wisconsin/ Syracuse Stars) was named to the All-College Hockey News Preseason First Team. Joey Diamond was named to the second team.
-Mike Klein, 10 October 2012