HHS Member,
The Houston Hockey Series returned to Toyota Center last night after 3 solid weeks of inactivity. The Willowbrook Wild played their first HHS game in over 6 weeks having last seen action at Toyota Center on Wednesday, Dec. 16th! It was obvious from the start of the game that their extra Holiday practices had paid off (sources close to www.houstonhockeyinsider.com tell us that they bought ice on Christmas day). Needless to say, players from Space City and Willowbrook were more than ready to get back into the action at Toyota Center.
Willowbrook started the game off with a mid-period goal by team replacement Chris Kuny. Kuny is playing permanent substitute for Jody Wolosiak who has been placed on injury reserve for the remainder of the season. Mike Edwards chipped in the teams second goal at the end of the first period, giving the wild a 2 – 0 advantage going into the second period. It looked as if Space City as turning up the heat in the second period with an early goal by Forward, John Connolly. The Space Invaders kept the pressure on by keeping the puck on Willowbrook’s side of the ice and had 3 solid scoring opportunities, but couldn’t find the net. A major credit to Wild goaltender, Jon Acquafondata, who stopped 18 of 20 shots on goal during the game.
The Wild were able to capitalize in the middle of the second period with 3 consecutive goals by 3 different players. David Sutton, Dan Pata, and Dave Herrmann respectively, were able to give the Wild a comfortable lead. Space Invader’s Sharp Shooter, Darren Riggle, was able to find the net before the end of the second period making it a 5 – 2 game going into the 3rd.
It was all Willowbrook defense from that point forward. Posting a 3rd period shutout, the Wild were able to put two more between the pipes making the final score 7 – 2.
Space City Goaltender Mary Kidd said, “We were a little short-handed tonight and missed a few opportunities on offense. We also spent a lot of time in the penalty box. The good news is we are back at the end of the month and have a shot at redemption during the double-header on Feb. 27th.”
Team Captain / Coach, Jeff Stone, held a post game chalk-talk with his team following the loss. Something tells me they will be ready for the challenge…
Captains Meeting:
- The Captains met to discuss plans for next season last week. There were a lot of good ideas brought to the table to make sure we continue to improve everyone’s experience next season. We still have a lot to discuss before we finalize the framework for next year, but I can shed some light on a few topics so that we are all on the same page.
-The HHS will remain a Novice League. The Captains are working on ways to ensure good competition between each team next season and we will have more details on that as we get closer to the end of the year.
-Due to the amount of interest from players not currently in our league, it appears we will have to add teams to the roster next season. This is very exciting and can be directly attributed to our current players and how they represent the HHS to players in their other leagues! Our waiting list grows every day and will be first come / first served as far as roster availability.
-Beginning March 1st, current players will be able to place a $100 deposit for the coming season which will guarantee your roster spot for 2010 – 2011. The cost of HHS will not increase for our current players and all of your deposit will roll into your HHS fees next season. Beginning April 1st, we will open up our rosters to new players who will be able to place a deposit and get on a roster for 2010 – 2011. If you have not placed your deposit by April 1st, your roster spot will be made available to the public.
-Don’t forget about your other leagues. A requisite for playing in HHS is that you must participate in a local organization as well. Players who have not participated in a local league in the last year (August ‘09 – August ‘10) other than HHS will forfeit their roster spot to someone who has.
-Awards Banquet! We have not finalized a date yet, but we will be holding an awards banquet / end of season party in March. We are working on having this at the Maple Leaf Pub on either Saturday the 13th or Saturday the 27th. We will keep you posted once we finalize our plans.
One Last Thing: VERY IMPORTANT!!! The Aeros are having a full-team autograph session immediately following the game on Feb. 14th. ALL HHS Members are welcome to attend. It’s a great chance to get any of the promo items you’ve received this season signed by your favorite Aeros player. Please RSVP to afarlow@aeros.com and let him know if you would like to be placed on the list.
Sorry for the “long one!” See you on Wednesday!
