WB/S Jr. Knights make
statement in Canada

By Larry West
OTTAWA,ON – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Jr Knights organization traveled across the northern border and played in the 9th annual Bell Capital Cup this past week, showing the world that youth hockey is alive and well in northeastern Pa. This year the Bell Capital Cup, officially the largest hockey tournament in the world, hosted over 470 teams from eight different countries. The Jr. Knights had representation in two divisions, the peewee major A and the atom (squirt) major AA, both divisions boasting stiff competition.

The peewee’s opened Friday morning against the Gloucester Blackhawks, the Blackwawks started the scoring in the middle of the second period on a goal from Matthew Woodstock.  As the game moved on, the Jr. Knights knew they would be in a battle until the end.  With only 44 seconds left in the game, a WB/S late roster addition Austin Nye lit the lamp to equal the final score 1-1.  The next morning the Jr. Knights hoping to redeem themselves jumped out to an early lead against the Nepean Raiders, when Rich Weinstock knocked one in just 2:24 into the game to take the 1-0 lead.  That energy would dissipate as the Raiders held the Knights to that one goal and went on to score four unanswered goals to win the match 4-1.  Later that afternoon, with a tie and a loss in the books and no chance of advancing to the next round, the Jr. Knights went into their final match against the Prince Edward County Kings with their heads held high and a positive attitude knowing they have faced some of the best talent in the world.  The Jr. Knights again came out of the box strong when Justin Higgs slapped one in for his first point of the tournament to take the 1-0 lead, and less that a minute later, Jimmy Fayocavitz scored his first point for the Knights to go up 2-0.  It seemed as though the Knights were finally hitting on all eight cylinders, but yet again, the Knights would find some disappointment when the Kings held them to the first two goals and went on to score three unanswered goals in the second period.  The third period remained scoreless and the peewee Jr. Knights would finish the tournament 0-2-1, not enough to advance to the playoff round. 

The Atom (Squirt) AA division seemed to be more acceptable to Jr. Knight hockey as the Squirts opened their tournament on Friday against the Ancaster Avalanche.  Ancaster and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton swapped goals in the first and second period with Ancaster scoring later in the first period, and the Jr. Knights scoring on a wrist shot from Ryan Flanagan with 3:34 left in the second.  But the third period would tell the tale, as the Jr. Knights offense would kick in.  Louis DeNaples would score twice and Elijah Latimer would spark the lines to lift the Jr. Knights to a 5-2 victory.  Ryan Flanagan would add another goal in the third as well.  With a victory in hand the squirts went to the rink Saturday morning full of optimism.  Meeting the Rideau / St. Lawrence Kings seemed to be the next AA opponent looking to knock the thriving Knights off.  The Kings came out swinging and scored three goals in the first eight minutes of the game.  The Knights, not known to give up after a 3-0 spot, scored when Ryan Flanagan tipped in a laser pass from Patrick West as time expired in the first.  The second period was all Jr. Knights scoring three times and going into the third period up 4-3.  But the squirts too would find disappointment, the Kings rallied in the third scoring three straight times and again late into an empty net to complete the comeback and beat the Jr. Knights 7-4. With only a slight chance of advancing, the jr. Knights had to win their final game on Saturday to have any chance at all of moving on.  The last game would pit the Jr. Knights against the top ranked team in their division, the Guelph Jr. Storm.  Marcus Joseph and Louis DeNaples scored in the first period and the Jr. Knights were on their way 2-0.  The second period would find the Knights looking for answers and testing their character.  The Storm   down 2 goals went on an offensive attack scoring four times in the second period to take a 4-2 lead, but the Knights would not be cast aside and Marcus Joseph scored his second goal with 36 seconds in the middle period.  But Marcus and the Knights were not finished, down 4-3 and facing absolute elimination from the tournament, Marcus saved his best for last.  With two goals already, Marcus Joseph the Knights went on the power play on an interference call with 2:19 let in the game.  That slight advantage was all the Knights needed, that and their star defenseman.  With 1:37 left in the game Joseph lifted a rebound and tied the game at four, and didn’t stop there, with 38seconds in the game Marcus again powered his way in front of the net and slapped in the winning goal to make it a 5-4 win.  With all of the firepower the Knights could muster, they were eventually eliminated by the St. Lawrence Kings victory over Ancaster later that evening.  With both teams eliminated from the play-offs WB/S left Canada with a solid performance in both divisions and a divisional scoring title for Louis DeNaples who end up with 4 goals and 6 assists.  The 10 points earned DeNaples an award at the Bell Capital Cup Gala on Sunday night .All points lead to a return trip to Ottawa next year to see if the Jr. Knights can add to their hockey resume.