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Week Three

Shamrocks Back at .500

On the surface, one win in three games does not make for a good weekend of hockey. However, for the Erin Shamrocks, one win and two competitive results against
two of the top teams in the league provide a measure of where this team will need to be to compete. The Shamrocks dumped the Schomberg Cougars 4-2 and put
on a good show on Friday in Penetang, losing 3-0 and then followed that with a 5-2 loss to the first place, undefeated Alliston Hornets.

In Schomberg, the score flattered the Cougars as Erin pumped over 50 shots at the Cougar net. Tyler Hogan opened the scoring in the first, finishing a nice feed from
Fy Virani. Brayden Abraham made it 2-0 with assists going to Brandon Tomines and Andrew Ferraro. Schomberg would cut the lead in half with one of their own
before Tyler Hogan notched his second of the game, on the powerplay, from Tomines and Abraham. The teams would trade goals in the third as Shawn English
would put the lid on a 4-2 victory. Lucas Reid was solid in net for the Shamrocks and took the win.

On Friday night in Penetang, the Shamrocks were lucky to hold on for the first half of the opening period as the Kings exerted sustained pressure. Colin Baird kept the
home team, the two time defending provincial champions, off the board until early in the second period when the Kings counted two goals in 28 seconds. From
there, the Shamrocks had their chances but could not find a hole in King’s goaltender Chris Daniels. The Kings would add another to claim a 3-0 victory.

The third game in three nights is never easy and playing the first place, undefeated Alliston Hornets doesn’t make it any easier. The Hornets have been steam-rolling
the opposition night after night and they opened up a quick 2-0 lead only to have Daniel Kearns put Erin on the board with an assist from Shawn English. The
Hornets increased their lead to 3-1 in the second but, early in the third period, Garrett Williams drew the Shamrocks within a goal. However, two late miscues on the
part of the Shamrocks led to two goals in less than a minute and gave the Hornets the margin they needed as they skated to a 5-2 win. Colin Baird went the distance
in net for the Shamrocks and took the loss.

The Shamrocks have now had a look at each team in the league and know how they measure up. Eight games in to the season, the young Shamrocks need work in
their defensive zone and are seeking some “finish”, particularly against the top teams in games where scoring opportunities are somewhat limited.

This week, the Shamrocks take to the road in Stayner against the Siskins and return home at 7:30 to host the defending champions from Penetang. Your game
sponsor for Saturday is Gorter’s Roll-off Service. This is a good opportunity to see how your Shamrocks stack up against one of the best teams in the province.

Week Four
Shamrocks fall Short

Ten games into the 2007-2008 season, the Erin Shamrocks would have been happy with five wins. With two losses this past weekend, the Shamrocks fell one short of
their goal but there is much reason for optimism. The Shamrocks rallied with three goals in the last three minutes but still fell one short as they lost 6-5 in Stayner on
Thursday and then followed that up with a 5-1 loss to the Penetang Kings in Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior “C” action.

In Stayner, it was a case of “too little, too late” as the Shamrocks squandered early scoring opportunities and came up a little short. The teams played a scoreless first
period and each team added two goals in the second frame. For the Shamrocks, Brayden Abraham and Cody Murphy lit the light behind the Stayner net. In the
third, Erin took the first fifteen minutes off and allowed the Siskins to score four unanswered goals as the defence went to sleep. However, the rally began as Brandon
Tomines connected on the powerplay with a little more than three minutes remaining. Thirty seconds later, Tyler Hogan found the net and a minute after that,
Daniel Kearns brought the score to within one. However, the Siskins would hold on for the win as a point-blank opportunity for the tie with 8 seconds remaining would
go wide of the target. On the night, the Shamrocks would count five powerplay goals. Colin Baird took the loss for the Shamrocks as they outshot the Siskins by a tidy
margin.

In a game sponsored by Gorter’s Roll-Off Service, the Shamrocks welcomed the two-time provincial champs from Penetang. The Kings got it rolling early as a bad
bounce off a Kings shoot-in left a wide-open net as the Kings took the lead only twelve seconds in to the game. The Kings, with twelve players dressed from last year’s
team, played their usual “dump, chase and hit” style but the Shamrocks played with them for the first period. Midway through the second, the Kings added to their
lead and this would prove to be the only score of wide-open, fast-skating period. Early in the third period, newcomer Mitch Christopher, acquired earlier from the
Guelph Jr B Dominators, scored his first of the season to bring the home side to within a goal. However, from there, the Kings appeared to shift to another gear as the
counted three more times to make it a 5-1 final.

The score wasn’t indicative of the game as the Shamrocks pushed the champions from Penetang for two and a half periods. Erin might have been guilty of
squeezing the sticks a little as their scoring chances went unrewarded. On the positive side, rookie goaltender Lucas Reid played a great game and could not be
faulted as he held the Kings in check for much of the game.

After 10 matches in the first four weeks, the Shamrocks find themselves with one lone game this weekend, sponsored by the Erin Advocate, as they host the first-place,
undefeated Alliston Hornets for the second time this season.

Come out and be a part of Shamrock hockey. Game time is 7:30.

Week Five
Shamrocks Winless in Five

A good effort on the part of the Erin Shamrocks resulted in yet another notch in the loss column as they dropped a 4-1 decision to the Alliston Hornets on Saturday
evening. The Hornets are undefeated in 11 games and currently sit atop the Georgian Mid –Ontario standings but the Shamrocks gave them a game and held their
high-scoring offence in check most of the game.

In a game sponsored by the Erin Advocate, special teams would play a prominent role for both teams. The Shamrocks opened the scoring a minute into the game as
Andrew Ferraro jumped on a rebound in the crease and buried it behind Hornet’s goaltender Jon Poretta. The early powerplay goal drew assists from Frank Zuccaro
and Tyler Hogan.

Midway through the opening period, the Hornets would strike for two goals in less than a minute, both on the powerplay. League-leading scorer Brent Eeles would
beat goaltender Colin Baird low to the stick side with the Hornets enjoying a two-man advantage. On the same advantage, Ryan Algar’s point shot would deflect past
Baird to put the Hornets on top. Less than three minutes later, the only even-strength goal on the night went to Cole Parker as he stepped into the slot and rifled one
past the Erin netminder to increase the lead to three.

The second period saw Poretta make several nice saves to keep the Shamrocks from getting back into the game. Twelves minutes into the second period, Alliston
would count their third powerplay goal of the game as Kurtis Brossard found the net. From there, it was a case of the young Shamrocks not being able to find the
holes in the Alliston netminder and he preserved the win and the Hornet’s winning streak.

With a quarter of the league schedule behind them, the Shamrocks have been showing improvements on the ice but not on the scoreboard. Against the top teams,
the goals are hard to come by while the chances are plentiful. Erin has worked to tighten up their defensive coverage but still struggle to finish in the offensive zone.
For the Shamrocks to beat the better teams, they will need to stay out of the penalty box and finish their chances around the net.

This week, the Shamrocks visit Fergus on Friday and return home to host the Schomberg Cougars on Saturday. The Shamrocks will unveil a new “Shoot for Loot”
promotion this weekend as a lucky ticket buyer will get a chance at a $1000. Come out and join the crowd!

Week Six
An Unexpected Weekend for the Shamrocks
On paper, a realistic goal for the weekend would have been a win and a loss. After all, the only meeting with the Fergus Devils this season had resulted in a 9-2 defeat
on opening night while the last date with the Midland Flyers was a 6-0 Shamrock win. A win and a loss is what Erin achieved although the results were unexpected.
After dealing the Fergus Devils a 5-3 defeat on Friday night, the Shamrocks ran in to a hot goaltender and just enough defensive miscues to drop a 4-1 decision to the
Midland Flyers. Erin currently is in a battle for fourth place with the Flyers with a couple of games in hand.

On Friday in Fergus, the Devils opened the scoring five minutes into the game as Ryley Scott beat Colin Baird. With two minutes remaining in the period, Tyler
Hogan drew the Shamrocks even with Andrew Ferraro and Frank Zuccaro counting assists. With six seconds left in the period, Zuccaro gave the visitors a lead as he
took a pass from Andrew Ferraro for the 2-1 lead.

Early in the second period, the Devils would even the score off the stick of Ryan Deboer but Erin would surge back and take the lead as Shawn English shoveled
home a loose puck in the crease. Joel Thompson and Frank Zuccaro got credit for the helpers. Erin would increase the lead to 4-2 halfway through the period as
Brayden Abraham notched his team-leading seventh goal of the season. Mitch Christopher and Brandon Tomines assisted on the goal. From there, Colin Baird took
over and made some great stops. The Devils drew to within a goal midway through the third period but the defence tightened and Zuccaro secured the win with an
empty-netter.

It was a confident Shamrock squad that took the ice against the Flyers on Saturday but the evening was ruined by the goaltending of Midland’s Tyler Bly and the
inability of the Shamrock shooters to find a hole. Add to that some interesting penalty calls and the Shamrocks were “up against it” this night. After a scoreless first
period, the Flyers would count two powerplay goals in a minute midway through the second period as Erin wore a path on the ice to the penalty box. The Shamrocks
would get back in it with a minute to play in the second frame as Brandon Tomines fed a pass from behind the net to an open Brayden Abraham to cut the lead in
half. However, Bly was not to be denied on this night as he consistently stymied the Erin shooters, turning aside well over 40 shots, while his mates added two more
goals in the third for a 4-1 win. Lucas Reid took the loss for Erin, making 23 saves of his own.

The Shamrocks take the road on Friday for a visit to the Alliston Hornets and return home for a Saturday tilt with the Schomberg Cougars. The road has been kind to
Erin as they have a .500 record away from home while their home losing streak has hit four games. The crowds for the home games have been increasing and they
were entertained as the first “Shoot for Loot” took place. The $1000 is safe for another week, awaiting a lucky participant on Saturday.

Week Seven
Shamrocks Tame the Cougars

It was a one win, one loss weekend for the Erin Shamrocks as they dropped a 4-0 decision to the league leading Alliston Hornets on the road Friday but rebounded
with a convincing 4-1 decision over the visiting Schomberg Cougars on Saturday. The Shamrocks sit a point out of fourth place with two games in hand over the
Midland Flyers in the Georgian Mid-Ontario standings.

In Alliston, the Shamrocks featured a shorthanded lineup as high school graduation exercises scooped three players. The Hornets struck at the two minute mark to
take the lead and followed that with another towards the end of the period to hold a 2-0 lead after one period. The second period was scoreless as the Shamrocks
had their chances but could not beat Jon Poretta in the Alliston goal. Colin Baird had a great game in net for the Shamrocks and held the high-scoring offence of
the Hornets at bay. The third period saw a surge by the Shamrocks as they pressed to get back into the game but Poretta made the saves he needed to while the
Alliston offence added two insurance goals in the last three minutes to seal the deal. Coach Young was pleased with the effort of the young team as they showed
good defensive zone coverage on the night and gave the front-runners a good game.

On Saturday night in Erin, the Shamrocks were determined to break their home ice losing streak. Less than two minutes into the game, Tyler Hogan took a pass from
Frank Zuccaro and made it 1-0 for Erin on the first powerplay of the game. The Shamrocks buzzed the net much of the period but Schomberg’s Ben Ivany kept it
close until the end of the period when Mitch Christopher notched his second of the season with assists going to Brandon Tomines and Brayden Abraham, again on
the powerplay.

Early in the second, the Shamrock threesome connected again as Abraham beat Ivany with helpers to Tomines and Christopher. The Shamrocks made it 4-0 as
Tomines and Abraham played the “give and go” to perfection with Tomines sliding the puck underneath Ivany. The Cougars would break the goose egg as
goaltender Baird and the defence played “you take it, I got it” behind the Shamrock goal and Jason McMann of the Cougars slid it into the empty net.

The third period was scoreless although the Shamrocks carried the play, outshooting the Cougars 43-21 on the evening. The Shamrock player of the game was
Brandon Tomines while Colin Baird claimed the win in the Erin goal.

The team continues to audition new players to upgrade their scoring and defence. Erin has signed local product Paul Jannetta to help on the blueline. This will be
a tough week to get a point as they travel to Penetang to meet the Kings (13 wins, 2 losses) and the Fergus Devils (10-3) make their first visit of the season on Saturday
at 7:30. Come out and watch a steadily improving Erin team and get a tickets for your chance to shoot for $1000!

Week Eight
Shamrocks Fall to the Devils

The Erin Shamrocks fought back from a three goal deficit in the third period only to succumb to an empty-net effort as they fell 6-4 to the third place Fergus Devils in
Georgian Mid-Ontario Jr. C action on Saturday. Coupled with a 6-2 loss on Friday to the two-time provincial champions from Penetang, the Shamrocks remain two
points out of fourth place in the run for the top half of the league standings.

On Friday in Penetang, the Kings notched the only goal of the opening period while holding a large territorial advantage. Colin Baird limited the damage with some
steady work in the Shamrock goal. The Kings added to the lead in the second with two more goals before rookie Brandon Tomines counted his fourth goal of the
season, assisted by Mitch Christopher and Brayden Abraham, to bring the visitors to within two.

Early in the third, Erin drew to within a goal as Jon Bell took passes from Matt Angell and Tyler Hogan to make it 3-2. From there, the Kings took it to another level
and finished with a three goal flurry to make it a 6-2 final. Colin Baird made 35 saves in a losing effort.

On Saturday against the third-place Devils, the teams skated to a scoreless first period, based largely on the solid work of Shamrock netminder Lucas Reid. The Devils
took control early in the second period with three goals in a four minute span to put the Shamrocks on their heels. Erin began to chip away at the lead as Mitch
Christopher counted his first of three goals on the night as he connected on the powerplay. Brandon Tomines and Cody Murphy drew assists. Fergus would regain
their three goal cushion before Brayden Abraham notched his team-leading tenth goal of the season to make it a 4-2 score after two periods. Tomines and Trevor
VanAlstine assisted on the goal.

Seven minutes into the third period, Christopher would pot his second of the game with assists to Tomines and Abraham. Fergus would restore the two goal lead but
Mitch Christopher would complete the hat trick with a nifty move in front of the Fergus goaltender to make it a one goal game once again. With the Shamrocks
pressing for the equalizer, a rink long back hand from the Fergus zone would inch its way into the empty Erin goal to cap a 6-4 win for the visiting Devils.

On the plus side for the young Shamrocks was the work of the rookie line of Christopher, Tomines and Abraham. Tomines chipped in with four assists while
Christopher counted three times and Abraham added a goal and two assists. This line has been providing the bulk of the Shamrock scoring but will need support in
this role if the team wants to be a serious contender in this league. The team continues to audition players, signing Orangeville’s Kai Trudeau in an effort to provide
some scoring punch.

This week, Erin travels to Stayner on Thursday for a tilt with the Siskins and then return home on Saturday to host the tough Penetang Kings. Come out and watch
some entertaining junior hockey – and get a chance to shoot for a $1000!

Erin Shamrocks O.H.A. Jr. "C: Hockey Club

	Tough Start for the Young Shamrocks The Erin Shamrocks opened their 2007 Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior “C” season with three games in three nights and escaped with a win and two losses. Erin was whacked on Friday in Fergus, rebounded with a solid 5-3 win over Stayner and then suffered a late game collapse against the Midland Flyers. Each weekend will be an adventure with this young team and difficult to predict. In Fergus on Friday, the Shamrocks were outscored, outhustled and somewhat overwhelmed by a relentless Fergus attack. The Devils led 2-0 after the first and 5-0 after the second on route to a 9-2 thumping of Erin. The Shamrock’s inexperience showed as they had trouble in their own end of the rink and, while showing flashes of offensive flair, were unable to exert sustained pressure. Fy Virani scored both Shamrock goals, the latter on a penalty shot. In the home opener on Saturday, sponsored by McArthur’s Automotive, the Shamrocks got the jump on the Stayner Siskins with two early goals. Frank Zuccaro swatted home a stray puck in the midst of a scramble and Brayden Abraham beat a Siskin defender to a loose puck and deked the Siskin netminder for the 2-0 lead. The Siskins would reply with one of their own before the end of the period. In the second, the teams traded goals as Fy Virani notched his third of the young season. The final period belonged to Erin as they iced the win on goals by Tyler Hogan and Daniel Kearns. Colin Baird was solid in net for the victory. In a rare Sunday night home game, it looked as though the Shamrocks would “run away and hide” as three first period powerplay goals put the home side out in front. Trevor VanAlstine, Brayden Abraham and Fy Virani found the back of the net. The Shamrocks would increase the lead to 4-0 as Jon Bell capped a great individual effort with his first of the season. However, from there on in the game belonged to Midland. Before the end of the second, the Flyers would get back in the game with two goals and then score three unanswered in the third to claim the 5-4 win. It was a tough loss for the Shamrocks, a game they had in the bag but found a way to lose. For the rookie-laden team, it was a lesson in “60 minute hockey” as they ran out of gas, perhaps a result of the third game in three nights. It will take some time for the true character of this team to develop. Some early trends would suggest plenty of speed on the forward lines and some good powerplay work. The forwards will need to develop some grit in the corners. On defence, work needs to be done in defensive zone coverage and “overcommitting” as there were far too many odd man rushes given up over the course of the three games. This weekend, the Shamrocks return the favour with the Flyers as they visit Midland on Friday and then get their first look at the Schomberg Cougars on Saturday at 7:30, sponsored by Marc’s Valu-mart. Come out and see what this young club has to offer.

		Week Two Shamrocks Take Two The Erin Shamrocks “steadied the ship” on the weekend as they exacted some revenge by dropping the Midland Flyers 6-0 on Friday night before returning home to shell the Schomberg Cougars 10-4 on Saturday. The wins put the Shamrocks back in positive territory after five games with a tough three game weekend on the horizon. Less than a week after coughing up a four goal lead to the Flyers, the Shamrocks struck early and often on foreign ice. Cody Murphy put Erin ahead in the first minute of play with a “seeing-eye” point shot that beat Midland goaltender Tyler Bly. Seven minutes later, Tyler Hogan knocked home a Fy Virani rebound to give the visitors a 2-0 lead after the first period. The second period belonged to Erin as they counted four times. Andrew Ferraro buried a nice fee from Brayden Abraham to make it 3-0. Minutes later, on the powerplay, Brandon Tomines counted his first of the season with assists to Virani and Trevor VanAlstine. Virani added the fifth goal of the game with another assist to VanAlstine and Garrett Williams completed the scoring as he converted passes from Tomines and Jon Bell. The third period remained scoreless as Colin Baird made some fine saves to preserve the shutout and the win. On Saturday, in a game sponsored by Marc’s Valu-mart, the Cougars hit the board first but the Shamrocks would reel off seven consecutive goals to put the game away. First period powerplay goals by Fy Virani (2) and Frank Zuccaro were sandwiched around a Brayden Abraham tally to give the Shammies a 4-1 lead after one frame. In the second, the onslaught continued as Abraham notched his second and Trevor VanAlstine and Shawn English added singles. Two late goals by the Cougars made it a 7-3 score after two periods. The third period was more of the same as English and Zuccaro each counted their second of the night and Daniel Kearns completed the scoring for the home side. Brandon Tomines added four assist on the night and Lucas Reid made the saves he needed to and claimed the win. The turkey will have to wait till later in the Thanksgiving weekend as the Shamrocks travel to Schomberg on Thursday, visit the defending Ontario Champions in Penetang on Friday and host the first-place Alliston Hornets on Saturday at 7:30. This will be Erin’s first look at two of the teams that should contend for the league title. It will be a good measure of where this young team currently ranks and what it will need to do to play with the big boys.