CHICAGO JUNIOR HUSKIES
USA HOCKEY JUNIOR C NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, April 1, 2009
HUSKIES DOWN KNIGHTS FOR NATIONAL TITLE ~First-year team from first-year league wins championship~
Marlborough, MA-Anthony Domico scored two goals and Brennon Koedding netted a goal and two assists to lead the Chicago Huskies over the Atlanta Knights 6-3 in the USA Hockey Tier III Junior C National Championship Game.
Domico started off the scoring 12:12 into the game when the Huskies had a 4-on-3 power play. Eric Szafranski skated into the zone and sent a pass back to Koedding back at the top of the circle. Koedding shot and Domico tipped the puck over Knights goal•tender Tyler Rathert’s glove.
Domico netted another one, this time with a 5-on-4 advantage, when Koedding picked up a loose puck in the corner and walked out to the top of the circle. Koedding passed to Domico, who redirected it past Rathert with seven minutes on the clock.
Atlanta got one back with a power play goal of their own less than a minute later. The Kinghts charged down the ice with a 3-on-2 rush. One of the Huskies looked to break up the play, but the puck was scooped up by Jason Leigh, who shot just out of the reach of Angelo Sakellaropoulos.
A faceoff in the Atlanta zone provided the next Hus•kies goal 3:20 into the second period. With the puck tangled up immediately after the faceoff, Cameron Koziarz skated in and fired the puck past a screened Rathert.
Once again, the Knights countered less than a min•ute after the goal. The Huskies tried to break it out of the zone, but Jordan Day stole the puck, skated in, and scored.
Another power play resulted in another Huskies goal
5:40 into the third. Szafranski sent the puck across the blue line, where it was scooped up by Tom Forrest. Forrest skated along the boards and faked a wraparound, instead passing to Koedding in the slot.
Koedding one-timed the puck past Sakellaropoulos.
On the very next faceoff, the puck was dumped into the Huskies’ zone. James Ryerse skated after it and left a drop pass at the bottom of the circle for Kevin Hire, who shot top-shelf to pull the Knights back within one.
With 2:25 remaining, the Ryan Glade made it 5-3 when he followed an Atlanta defenseman behind the net. The defenseman attempted to turn away, but Glade stole the puck skated to the goal line and jammed the puck past Rathert.
Atlanta pulled Rathert with 12 seconds to go with a faceoff in the Huskies’ zone. Jonathan Sakellaropou•los won the faceoff, and James Bohnne swatted the puck and sent it the length of the ice for an empty-net goal.
Both the Chicago Huskies and the Great Lakes Junior Hockey League completed their first year of existence. The other Great Lakes entry, the Illinois Frontenacs, bowed to the Huskies in the semifinal round in a 2-1 overtime decision. Next season, the league will move up to Tier III Junior B status.
For the 2009-2010 Season The Chicago Junior B Huskies will be playing at the Junior B level of USA Junior Hockey.
