Eastern Junior Hockey League

Boston, MA- The New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs Showcase is in the books and at the end, several teams picked up huge wins that could go a long way in deciding playoff spots.

The Valley Jr. Warriors played two games on Friday and made the most of them. At noon, the Warriors took down the Junior Bruins 1-0 thanks to Albee Daley’s goal and Brendan Leahy’s 24 saves. In the second game, an 8:00 PM tilt, Valley avenged last weekend’s series with a 3-1 win over the Rochester Stars.

The Islanders Hockey Club stopped in on Saturday for a clash with the Jersey Hitmen and emerged with a 3-1 win. Colton Phinney made 31 saves in the contest, but Danny Lopez wrecked his shutout bid with one second remaining.

Despite the loss, the Hitmen had an excellent week, pitching shutouts against the Philadelphia Revolution on Wednesday and the Portland Pirates on Friday.

The host Monarchs played only one league game, but bagged an impressive 5-2 win over the Junior Bruins.

The South Shore Kings kept pace in the Southern Division with a pair of 4-2 wins, the first coming on Friday over Portland and the second on Saturday over Rochester.

Rochester did not leave empty-handed, as they downed the Pirates 5-2 on Saturday night.

The Bay State Breakers took to the ice on Sunday and beat the Junior Bruins 5-1.

The Springfield Pics hosted the Revolution and came away with a sweep. Pics goaltender Linus Lundin did not surrender a goal all weekend, making 37 saves on Saturday and turning away 36 shots on Sunday.

The Boston Bandits and Connecticut Oilers clashed in Bridgewater over the weekend. On Saturday, the Bandits overcame Bruce Racine’s 41 saves and two-goal deficit to win 4-3 in a shootout. Sunday’s game was a different story, as the Bandits exploded in the second period en route to a 5-2 win.

WEEKEND PREVIEW: The Junior Bruins host the Boston Bandits on Wednesday afternoon and then welcome the Pirates for a weekend series. The Bandits then host Bay State on Saturday, travel to Foxboro to face the South Shore Kings on Sunday, and return home on Wednesday to play the Islanders. Valley heads down 495 to play the Islanders on Thursday at 2:00 PM before beginning a home-and-home with the Monarchs in Hooksett on Saturday. The Hitmen host Apple Core on Wednesday night before hosting Rochester for a pair over the weekend. Prior to the game in New Jersey, the Stars clash with the Revolution in Philadelphia on Friday night. Apple Core host Springfield for two games over the weekend. The Revolution welcome the Connecticut Oilers for a weekend series. Bay State hosts South Shore on Thursday night and then travel to face the Islanders on Sunday. The Kings and Pics finish in Foxboro next Wednesday afternoon. All games will be broadcast on FastHockey.com.

ALUMNI UPDATE: Doug Carr (UMASS-Lowell/ South Shore Kings), Joey Diamond (University of Maine/ New York Apple Core), Colin Markison (University of Vermont/ Jersey Hitmen), Dan Sullivan (Maine/ Apple Core), and Trevor vanRiemsdyk (University of New Hampshire/ New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs) were named to the Hockey East Top Performers list.
-Mike Klein, 17 October 2012