According to the Director of Marketing for the Bluefins who messaged me personally to express concern, states that the team had met and made a plan going forward and that any report of trouble was completely untrue. He did however go on to state that any first year business does struggle in the early going which is fair and you cannot argue otherwise however the team is still going and if ever there was an issue it has since been resolved as the Cape Cod Bluefins are closing out the season with a 15 wins(3 overtime) and 34 losses(4 overtime) for 46 points with two games remaining before the playoffs begin.
I assured Tim Lus the Director of Marketing and Game Day Ops in Cape Cod who runs the Facebook page that I will be more than happy to admit it publically if it does in fact come out wrong so here I am to say I WAS WRONG.
Let it be a wake up call to FHL fans however. Every team in this league needs your support. It needs crazy fans who bleed blue,green,red etc. It's not only marketing that needs to draw crowds it's you the fan as well. Nothing helps a team more than word of mouth from one hockey fan to another. Without your support the end result is the disappearance of local hockey and less opportunity for you to watch top level hockey as well as less opportunity for locals to play the game they love.
Multiple sources in and around the league are reporting the ink has run out in the pens of Cape Cod ownership.
Sources around the team are reporting the team is out of cash and that the players are no longer being paid. A troubling development considering the collapse of the Vermont Wild earlier this season with the Bluefins possibly on it's way to becoming the second team this season to fold.
If there is one positive suggestion it is that there may be a potential buyer for the team which is yet to be confirmed but as is the case with smart business you buy low and anyone looking to aquire the franchise likely waits until the value is depleted entirely before coming in to pose as the saviour of the hockey club
Any new ownership group will likely take the team elsewhere based on a lack of local support as was witnessed when the Broome County Barons moved to Cape Cod as the team struggled to put people in seats due to the close proximity of the AHL's Binghamton Senators.
A lot of questions arise and one of the big ones is how much longer this can go on but in a world driven by the bottom line it's only a matter of time before some players begin to walk in favor of a certain paycheck and stability with another franchise be it in the FHL or otherwise.
All the best to the Cape Cod franchise with the hopes they can turn it around and make it work. If your a Bluefin fan now is the best time if there ever was one to go out and drum up support for your team. With the team on life support every bit of hope counts.
What are your thought on this? Can they turn it around? Is it already to late?
Danville, IL - After spending what seemed like an eternity on the bus heading from Cape Cod to Danville (20 hours), The Cape Cod Bluefins made their way into David S. Palmer Arena and won the front end of a back to back game against a much improved Danville Dashers team by the score of 5 to 4.
Cape Cod came out working hard as they scored the first 3 goals of the game, with goals by newly acquired forward Kevin Hill 2:54 into the opening period on the power play and that's how the 1st period ended. the Bluefins would score the first 2 goals of the 2nd period on goals by Brad Surdam and David Lun to make it 3-0.
Danville then dug deep and started putting shot after shot on the Bluefins newest goaltender Tyler O'Brien and scored goals by Igor Batora, Joe Pace and Dean Yakura to send the game to the locker room tied at 3.
Early in the third period, Dustin Skinner put the Dashers ahead for the first and only time tonight 4:20 into the period. The Bluefins then really reached back for that extra energy and found the reserve tank tonight when David Lun fired home his 2nd goal of the night to tie the game at 4 at 7:15 of the third period before captain Kevin McCready broke the tie 3 minutes later with his 19th goal of the season.
Cape Cod would hang on for the last 9:13, despite many opportunities by the Dashers as Tyler O'Brien kept his goal closed for the rest of the night, making huge save after huge save making 24 in total out of 28 Danville shots for his first victory as a Bluefin. Dashers goaltender Breton Lindoff takes the loss tonight, stopping 29 of 34 shots.
The two teams are back in action tomorrow night at David S. Palmer Arena to do battle in the 2nd game in 2 nights at 7pm central time. The Bluefins are back in action at Hyannis Youth and Community Center next Friday and Saturday, February 3rd and 4th as they take on the New Jersey Outlaws and Danbury Whalers respectively. Both games are at 7 pm eastern time. Great seats are still available.
Alexandria Bay - The 1000 Island Privateers looked well rested welcoming the Cape Cod Bluefins Monday Night and ready to play. Matt Kinsella starting in Net for the Privateers and C.Testa in Net for Cape Cod it took only 18 seconds in the 1st for the Privateers to get on the Scoreboard. Smulders from P.Kelly and J. Akeson. With a very fast paced game starting the Cape Cod team tied the game 1-1 5 minutes later. Surdam from Tibbetts and Frey. Going back and forth both teams seemed to have great speed and shots that just didnt see the inside of the net. Akeson passing the puck to Smulders on the wing past the puck to P.Kelly who witha an awesome wirst shot put it threw the 5 hole taking the Privateers to a 2-1 Lead with just under 5 minutes left in the first. The first period ended as it had begun with Smulders from Akeson, Winchester burying the puck with just 15 seconds left on the clock. Cape Cod outshooting the Privateers 12-10 the 1st Period ended 3-1 Privateers and NO PENALTIES.
Going into the 2nd period saw a whole different game. Power Play Goal by McAllister from Akeson, Byrd saw the Privateers taking on a good lead. The Privateers seemed to have some difficulty keeping the puck out of there end. M. Harrington from S. Sabky, B. Surdam saw Cape Cod take advantage of a Power Play to come within 2, with the score now 4-2. Alot of shots in the Privateers end saw the Cape Cod Bluefins end the 2nd period out shooting the Privateers 22-4. Matt Kinsella seeing a few great shots Cape Cod just couldnt capitalise as much of the shooting had no real direction.
The 3rd Period did not see either team slowing down. With a shot on Kinsella and a save saw him laying on the ice twisting and turning. Appeared to be in some pain he was helped up and Assisted by his team mates to the bench holding his left leg off the ice. M. Anthony warmed up and was ready to continue the game. With another Power Play for Cape Cod saw M. Harrington with a niffty pass to Lund who put it in the back of the net bringing Cape Cod within one of the Privateers 4-3. Vesprini replacing Testa in the second made a Fantastic save with the Privateers 4 on 3. With just under 10:00 min. left in the 3rd Winchester once again to Fenzil who passes puck to Byrd putting the Privateers now up 5-3. Tibbetts coming out of the penalty box skates right into Smulders who was taking a swing at the puck and clipped in the face resulting in Smulders getting a High Stick penalty. McAllister called for tripping puts the Cape Cod team again on the Power Play to no avail. The Final goal was Winchester with an Empty netter ending the game 6-3 for the 1000 Island Privateer Win. Cape Cod again outshot the Privateers 12-8 with a total of 46 shots to the Privateers 22. It was a very fast played game with few penalties and some Great Saves from all 4 goalies. And I must say I was very impressed with the Refing tonight. It was a very over all well played game.
Food for Thought:
I have noticed a few players from different teams not wearing visiors and wonders, just because they might have played for a higher league should they still not be made to wear them. As in the NHL you are seeing more and more players wearing the visiors. No they arent going to stop all shots near the face but it sure can help in some of those HIGH STICKS. Its an area that I feel very strong about. I dont like to see any player get hurt and there eyes are one area that I figure all players would protect. My thought for the night!!!!
Massena, NY - The puck is dropped for the first and less than a minute in Casey Swamp gets taken into the boards early by Harrington as the teams begin shoving and jawing at one another.Penalty called and Akwesasne goes on the power play. David Lun manages to get a mile behind the Warriors defense for a breakaway but David Plouffe shuts the door for his first stop as the Warriors kill off the penalty. Cape Cod goes to the power play next but fail to generate any real chances as Akwesasne presses and keeps the Bluefins from setting up. Shortly after killing the penalty Akwesasne gets on the board as Mahfouz pull his defender creates a two on one and feeds it to Nicolas Corbeil who goes top shelf, 1-0 Warriors. Warriors go on to successfully kill another penalty. A couple turnovers and the Bluefins are pressuring the Warriors but Plouffe has been up to the task thus far. The teams are back and forth trading chances to close out what has been an energetic first period but the Bluefins outshoot Akwesasne 21-6.
Were back for the second period and in under a minute Akwesasne is heading to the sin bin. 1:10 into the second and Cape Cod sets up and bangs in it’s first goal on the power play to tie it 1-1. A big hit by Frey on Swamp and there is a penalty called for interference as Akwesasne goes to the power play. Not long after that call Jean-Rene Forget goes off to even things up. Akwesasne manages to kill off the remaining minute as the teams return to five on five play. Less than a minute later Pierre Dagenais puts the puck in the net to make it 2-1 from Dan Tessier and Jean-Rene Forget.
The third is more of the same as Warriors continue the march to the penalty box but manage to kill off a couple. Midway through the third Brad Surdam knots it up for the Bluefins from Hutton and Sabky. 2-2. A late penalty by Patrice Bilodeau send the Warriors into overtime down a man.
The Bluefins are all over the Warriors and manage to get some quality chances on Plouffe but David is standing on his head tonight and keeps them in it. They kill off the four on three and shortly after Sylvain Deschatelets connects with a streaking Nicolas Corbeil who freezes the goaltender and goes top shelf to win it for Warriors 3-2.
David Plouffe stood on his head in his return between the pipes stopping 47 of 49 shots to keep the Warriors in it. Corbeil also had another strong performance but the lack of discipline continues to hamper the Warriors as they took eight penalties but did well on the penalty kill (7 for 8)
Hyannis, Mass - I have seen some slow games before but this game took the cake. I almost fell asleep watching my computer monitor. The checking was or should I say what checking that took place was so soft that I could have taken the hits at age 66. It almost seemed to be a skating session instead of an FHL hockey game sorry to report.
First Period:. I think that both teams forgot what checking is and it showed. It almost looked like a tennis match with the back and forth skating and the lack of checking. The three penalties of the first period was the biggest part of the excitement. The only real action was when Brad Surdam found the net and shot the puck past #35G Scarsella a new goalie for Brooklyn. Shots on goal at the end of the first were A’s 15, Cape Cod 10 and the score was 1-0 Cape Cod.
Second Period: The most and only action of the game was when at 15:10 Bellamy #3D for the BlueFins and #3D Ronayne for Brooklyn dropped their gloves and went at it. For their effort they each received five minutes for fighting. Bellamy got in a few good shots but Ronayne took him to the ice after dealing out a few good shots of his own.
There were three more penalties in the period at that was it. Seemed more like a skating class than a hockey game, can you say boring? It was still 1-0 BlueFins at the end of two periods and shots on goal were 21 each.
Third Period: At 18:08 Surdam #17 found the net and made the BlueFins lead bigger by one, 2-1 the Cape. Tibbets #23C scored to make it a 3-0 BlueFins lead at 10:28 in the third. The way the A’s were skating it looked as if they never played a game together. Bad passing, no one in the slot when the puck was being centered and the D chasing the attacking BlueFins like the Keystone cops. A real bad showing, let me tell you.
Petriello #9 scored for Brooklyn to bring the match to a score of 3-1. McCready #11RW scored for the Blue Fins to make it 4-1 in the third period. Jesse Felten #20C for the Aviators scored with 14 seconds left, too little too late. The finale score was 4-2 Cape Cod BlueFins and the shots on goal were Aviators 30 and Cape Cod 28.
Sideline: This road trip was more like a smack down for Brooklyn, they were swept on the trip! Let’s see what Brooklyn can do Friday against the NJ Outlaws, we could sure use a win.
Two days, two games. A trek that started in Hogansburg, NY at 6:00 am Friday morning. The Warriors boarded a bus heading for Danbury, Connecticut to take on the always entertaining Danbury Whalers. Akwesasne coming into this trip had lost three straight and were looking to turn things around on the two game road swing.
The nearly six hour drive led to a stop in Newburgh, Ny just outside of New York City where the team and management stopped for dinner and to relax a little bit. After eating the team had some down time before jumping back on the bus so they grabbed a soccer ball and started kicking it around.
Roughly three hours later the team was back on the road to finish off the 45 minute drive to Danbury enjoying some nice scenery while crossing a bridge along the way
5:00 PM, Danbury, CT - We arrive at the beautiful Danbury Ice Arena only to find out we are too early and they are not ready for us. A welcome change as the team has had some bad luck recently forcing games to be delayed. Every detail was planned out this time around and the guys are left to wait it out.
6:40 PM, Most of the guys are dressed and ready for warm ups some so ready they even strike a pose. Danbury however goes out for warm-ups unexpectedly early and the team is forced to rush out as the clock is ticking down. Warriors slowly trickle onto the ice and prepare for battle.
Post game - The guys ran out of gas in the third I wish I was talking about the team bus but it was the players. After a very entertaining 40 minutes of play the Warriors came out flat. Danbury took advantage immediately lighting the lamp with four straight in the third period, two in the first 1:04 of the period and another tough loss to write home about for Akwesasne.
Around 11 pm, the team has it's post game meal and head straight for the bus to begin the trip to Hyannis, Massachusetts.
3:30 AM, The entourage arrives in Hyannis, Massachusetts dead tired and ready to get some rest. After about 20 minutes the rooms are sorted and everyone begins disappearing for the night. My room mate for the trip is hard working rookie Sam Sanford currently on a three game tryout contract. A long day comes to a welcome end.
Around noon time the next day Director of Game Day Operations and video guru Keith Papineau gives me the opportunity to be one the first few to view the new Warriors commercial.
3:00 PM, Dinner is served at a restaurant across the street from the arena. Heaping plates of food are delivered to the tables as everyone takes in the intense Bruins/Canucks game. Loud chatter as everyone discusses the game and arguments over penalties can be heard in the background.
5:15 PM, Hyannis, Massachusetts - The team is packed up and heading for the Hyannis Youth and Community Center. A nice arena which is surprisingly small inside due to having two ice pads.
6:30 PM, - The guys are out for warm-ups. I get my first glimpse of the Bluefins
7:05 PM, - Puck drops on the first period. The Warriors come out flying as Ahmed Mahfouz strikes 33 seconds into the first frame. The guys are all smiles but it doesn't last long as the Bluefins hit back three and seven minutes into the game. Miguel Delisle scored his second goal in two games to even it up after a very entertaining first period of play.
The second period houses a lot of back and forth play. Cape Cod strikes midway through the period and it's followed shortly after by a minor tussle between former NHLer Billy Tibbetts and Akwesasne tough guy Mike Stacey who was more than willing. Tibbetts glove was off and he threw a punch that didn't faze Stacey at all but Tibbetts backs off from the challenge and both were given 2 minute roughing minors. The rough stuff doesn't go away as Kris McCarthy and Cory Bellamy had a shoving match with Bellamy trying to get McCarthy to drop the mitts until Ahmed Mahfouz skates in and goes straight after Bellamy, both men go down before any good punches can be thrown. Both are given a double minors.
The third period comes undone for the Warriors again. Miguel Delisle score his third goal in two games and fourth in four games is starting to look like the Delisle of last season where he produced better than a point per game. With time on the power play and an increased role it would not surprise me to see him return to form. However, it was Cape Cod's three goals in the third that sunk the Warriors for good. An empty netter sealed the deal and extended Akwesasne's losing streak to five games.
10:30 PM, After the post game meal the team heads for the bus as they load up and hit the road. With only a couple stops along the way it was a long quiet ride home. Getting back to the starting point in Hogansburg, NY at 6:30AM was the closing of a fun but disappointing trip.
Back home Wednesday the Warriors will have all of their starters back in the lineup to welcome the unlucky Danville Dashers who come to town to take on a sleeping beast. A wake up call has been issued with this five game losing streak and it's time for the Warriors to step up in a big way. With 22 scheduled games left to go it's going to take an Aviator like run to redeem this team. If everyone shows up there is no reason this stacked team can't get it done and if all else fails a big shake-up may be necessary.
Next up: Danville
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In closing I would like to thank team owner Darby "Buggo" Oakesfor allowing me the opportunity to make the trip. I really appreciated this new and fun experience which I hope to be able to do again someday. I met some great people along the way and travelled with some of the best.
Akwesasne earlier this year won the Comissioners Cup in a finals meeting with the Brooklyn Aviators(Then known as the New York Aviators). Hard work payed off as the team became the first and so far only team to win the leagues title. Going 18-4 at home saw the Warriors finish the season only behind the Aviators in the standings but the team finished on a rough note with the absence of key players.
Those players returned in time for the playoffs and quickly made Akwesasne the team to beat. 1000 Islands was the first to stand in Akwesasne's way. The Warriors sent the Privateers packing in 4 games taking the series three games to one.
Akwesasne then went on to do the same to the Aviators. Winning games one and two in Brooklyn made life much easier as the team returned home. Under pressure to win it on home ice the Warriors dropped the third game 6-3 but came back a couple days later in what was arguably the best game of the season and playoffs. It was close. Trading goals until Akwesasne got the upper hand late forcing New York to pull the goalie. Pierre Dagenais beat a diving defender and casually skated the puck to the net and tapped it in sending the arena into party mode.
Danbury gives new teams the punk test
Danbury is up to their old tricks. A team full of tough guys. Naturally there's going to be a fight whether you want one or not. I've figured out Danbury's game plan though. Fight. Fight more. Then let Alec Kirschner take advantage of you team... Effective.
Over 300 penalty minutes were handed out to the teams including various suspensions of different lengths. You Call That Hockey? Drop the gloves. Do it man to man. In a recent game between the Warriors and Privateers this is exactly what happened. One player from 1000 Islands wanted a bench brawl. What did happen was three fights in the first five seconds. They got it out of their system and now we play hockey. I'm not endorsing mugging guys who are not fighters and that's often what happens in bench brawls.
Relocation, Expansion, Retraction
The FHL's rush for expansion has come with pitfalls. Some of which are new owners being thrown on hot coals when their teams aren't filling the building.
Broome County Barons moved to Cape Cod and becomes the Bluefins.
New Jersey has taken the league by storm in their first season and they continue to set the bar for marketing and recruiting as they are getting it done on and off the ice.
Danville is over 800 miles away from the nearest team and it's truly stunning that the team continues to have the support of the league. Expansion is nice but when you do it too fast and without much thought to the fact guys are not flying first class in team jets it really becomes a pain in the ass. Oh and they won a stunning two games in 2011.
The Vermont Wild folded. They didn't last as the team was losing money by the bundle and ownership was quick to cut their losses. A team in Vermont would have been nice. The proximity is very manageable and the team would benefit from fans of other teams making the trip with their respective teams.
Delaware Federals the team brought in to "fill the hole" Vermont's left... once lost 18-0. Moving on.
I want to thank you all for a great year. It's been a lot of fun to be even a small part of this league. We appreciate the support received in such a short time and we look forward to expanding to accomodate each fan base in the league. If you haven't already go to the You Call That Hockey? facebook page and click like. If your interested in writing about your team send me a message or leave a comment here. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Oh man what a game, best game I've seen so far this season at Hanger #5 in Brooklyn. First period it looked as if Cape Cod brought in a different team from the night before. These guys had rockets on their skates and were using St. Pierre #38 as target practise. I think for a while that St. Pierre #38 was shell shocked, this was his ninth straight start and it looked as though it was finally catching up to him. The end of the first period it was 3-2 Aviators with scoring by Bernier #18, Jesse Felten #20 and Owsiak # 11. Let me tell you that there was no grass under the skates of the BlueFins at all. I have to take off my Santa hat for Billy Tibbett's #23 of the Bluefins, he still has his moves and he sets up his teammates quite a bit. Tibbett's #23 who is no kid anymore seems to be the spark plug for the Cape Cod BlueFins. Second period was just as good as the first was, Both teams were still flying like they were in the first. Hitting was crisp and clean which I must commend both teams for showing their skills. There was a small disagreement between Ronayne #3 for the A's and Lun #10 for the BlueFins, both received penalties for their efforts. Seems as if Mr. Lun was on the short end of the stick and seen holding ice packs on his face, we wish him well. Our goalie St. Pierre #38 was pulled from service and Peter Dundivich #31 took his turn between the orange pipes. At the end of two the score was 5-4 in favor of the BlueFins. Schott #10 just acquired from Danbury scored for Aviators to bring us with in one goal of a tie. Third period was another great hockey game of skating and skills for all concerned. There was no scoring till 10:02 of the third when Baumgartner #18 found the back of the net and tied the game at 5 all. The Hanger went wild and the fans just loved it. There were close calls around the goal for both sides but none found the net. Can you say three on three in OT? Overtime period, short and sweet. Owsiak #11 found the back of the net only 39 seconds into the OT period. Seems like a bit of sweet revenge from when the BlueFins did the same to us, how sweet it is! I would like to wish everyone a very, very Merry Christmas and a healthy New year in 2012 from Brooklyn, New York. Home of the Brooklyn Aviators.
And below is a link, Carmine Vetrano the voice of the Aviators with the call on the overtime game winner.
Well hockey fans, it seems as if the BlueFins were hooked tonight in Brooklyn by the Aviators, Final score 6-3. The A’s put on a nice show tonight in hanger #5. The game was fast paced and the hitting was pretty clean all night long. No fights to talk about so I would say it was a very good game.
Former Warrior and new member of the Aviators Peter Drikos scored the first goal of the game. The game was tied up at the end of the first period when Cape Cod found the back of the net with only 46 seconds left in the first period.
Second period we saw the A’s score two more times on power plays. We have some new players on our team and one of them by the name of Brendan Baumgartner (#44 C) sank the puck and also rookie "Burn’em" Bernier (#18 LW) found the back of the net which was protected by Chris Testa (#1 G) of the BlueFins.
As a funny side note let me tell you about this strange happening at the Hanger. Our new Captain Jarrett Rush #4 threw his gloves to the ice and his target Billy Tibbetts #23 turned away and skated off with the puck despite the officials blowing their whistles, Tibbets was awarded a penalty for his actions. First time that I have ever saw this on ice.
Third period the following scored for the Aviators: Trentoswki #17 D, Atsoff #12 C and Felten #20 C. The crowd was a small one on this night but "Section 9" which I am proud to say that I am a part of was making up for the lack of fans by making noise galore. We have 6-8 crazy fans who bring their love of the game to life each time the Aviators take the ice. With air horns and stamping feet we rock the place. Some have their game worn jerseys, flying cap, goggles and scarf’s to cheer on their Brooklyn Aviators.
Let’s see if the Aviators can take Friday night’s game and get a nice winning streak before their Christmas break. We are in the pack of teams who are racing to get to the playoffs in March. I see that Danbury knocked off the NJ Outlaws, guess that the Aviators 21 game winning streak is safe till next year, Dream on Outlaws, Thank you Whalers…
Article by Clifford F. Zeman
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