Skarbinksi Leads Way for the Ice Cats Home Opener

December 5, 2009 - Senior Ted Skarbinski scored four goals and collected one assist to lead the Ice Cats past Sanford High School at Bridgton Ice Arena on Saturday night. Skarbinski opened the first with a nice tap in from Kenedi Hall and Richard Miller at the 6:03 mark to give the Cats the early lead. After Sanford tied it up 15 seconds later, Skarbinksi then struck again on a conversion from Ryan Ahern with 1:09 left to go in the period to close out the first stanza.

The second period was marked by many Ice Cat penalties and Sanford found themselves on the power play for most of the period. All three Sanford goals were power play goals and the Ice Cats had all they could manage to stay ahead. Richard Miller opened the stanza on a feed 3 minutes in from Kevin Zachrisson to get the Cats ahead by two only to be followed 30 seconds later by a Sanford tallied that put the score to 3 – 2. Phil Harnden then returned the Cats to a two goal lead at the 6:03 marker as he was standing in front and banged home a rebound from Don Kellough. Sanford fired back once again on the power play to tighten up the period. Five minutes later Sanford shocked the Cats by scoring their third straight power play goal sneaking a back door shot by Cats tender Mike Shea to knot the game at 4 going into the second intermission. In total, the Cats combined for over 10 minutes of penalties in the second period alone.

The Ice Cats came out in the third and found their stride once again as Don Kellough scored his first of the season on the power play 2:55 seconds into the period from Ted Skarbinski. At that point the three Ice Cats lines wore down the Sanford upstarts and closed the game with three unanswered goals from Kevin Zachrisson and two more from Ted Skarbinski. The assists were given to Kenedi Hall, Phil Harnden and Ryan Ahern respectively.

 After the game coaches Lepage and Moran remarked about the penalty minutes taken. Coach Lepage commented “We cannot continue to give up that many power play opportunities to our opponents and expect to win. We squeaked this one out but we will be working on our mental game, penalty kill and defensive zone coverage this week. I am happy with the team’s performance in the third and Mike Shea put together a great game for us in the first two periods to keep us close.”
 
Coach Moran had this to say about the outcome as well. “This Sanford team came in and wanted it more in the first two periods and we had all we could handle matching them for shots. Out legs and depth gave us the ability to overcome their pressure in the third so although we had some rough moments, it was a positive thing to walk out of that game with a win in our first game this season. It definitely set the tone and allowed the coaching staff to see what needs more work.”

 The Ice Cats travel to Portland Ice Arena next to take on former Tier I and State Champ Cheverus on Thursday afternoon. The puck drops at 6:00.
 Ice Cats Get Set to Open Dec 5, 2009  

 December 3, 2009 - The Fryeburg / Lake Region Ice Cats will open their season Saturday December 5th as they get set to take on Sanford at Bridgton Ice Arena. This season will be filled with exciting hockey as the Cats take on one of the most challenging schedules in their short Varsity careers. The schedule boasts 5 Tier 1 opponents and the regular complement of Tier 2  rivalries. Teams such as Scarborough, Thornton Academy and Biddeford will be a challenging addition to an already tough Class A schedule. Game time for the Sanford game is set for 4:00 PM.

Season Preview

Record last year

8-9-1 (13^th place in the division)

Coaching Staff

Head Coaches – Dave Lepage and John Moran (3rd year)
Assistant Coach – Russell Moores (1^st year)

Key losses

The losses from last years team are numerous as we look to replace guys like Cody Leland, Dan Casey, Chris Roy, Matt Cheney, Jon Norris and Kody Rickett. They were all valuable players for us last year so this years team has big  shoes to fill. Leland and Casey were also very instrumental leaders as both were co captains and provided much needed stability and confidence to our team.

Top returnees (year in school, position)

Seniors – Forwards – Ted Skarbinski, Kevin Zachrisson, Kenedi Hall, Richard Miller, Phil Harnden, Kaela Mitchell. Defense – Ryan Ahern, Austin Wood. Goaltending – Chelsea Kiesman

Juniors – Goaltending – Mike Shea

Sophomores – Forward – Don Kellough. Defense – TJ Leach

Top newcomers (year in school, position)

The Freshman class is strong this year with the addition of Forwards – Tyler LaPlante, Tyler Harnden and Mike LeGoff and Goalie Tyler LeGoff

Strengths

Our strengths this year are based upon our ability to put the puck in the net. Our forwards are very experienced as most have played on this team from its inception. All of the seniors have the ability to take over most games, be a physical presence and have strong skating ability. If the seniors can believe in themselves and play like I know they can play consistently, this may be a fun and explosive team to watch.

Areas of concern

Our defensive core might struggle this year due to the upgrade in our schedule. We are going to face some of the toughest Tier 1 teams in Class A and the speed and strength that most of those teams possess will be a challenge for our defensive zone play. We need to be able to think differently and try and play to our strengths - which is in the other teams end. Puck possession will be a key as we try and keep the puck out of our own end.

3 areas to improve upon

Confidence – Although we have had some success in the past, our confidence as a team is always a concern. This years schedule includes teams like Biddeford, Scarborough and Thornton Academy which are big names in Class A hockey. We will have to believe that we belong on the ice with them.

Team Unity – As always, most teams struggle with unity. Looking at our position as the combination of two rival schools, we are no different.

The mental game – We need to be able to think in a different way and anticipate better. The Ice Cats will have no choice but to play “five – man”, systemized hockey this year if we are going to have any success in the tough games. Individualized play will not be the answer.

3 keys to the season

Goaltending – After returning from his initial season as the Ice Cat goalie last year, Mike Shea is going to play a more important role in this year’s success. He has the experience and the athletic ability to be a very good goalie and his confidence level is going to be the key component of his progression. He has capable backups in LeGoff and Kiesman but he is going to have to lead the way in stressful situations.

Senior leadership – This season will be a direct reflection of where the seniors lead us. As was stated before, there are many talented seniors on this team that need to gel quickly and become the heart of this team. We are going to look to them in tough times to have confidence, play as a team and continue to work hard.

Schedule – Our schedule is the toughest schedule these players have ever seen. With five Tier I opponents and our typical schedule with tough Tier II and III opponents, the challenge has been set forth for the Ice Cats this year.

Outlook

We need to prove to ourselves that we can play in the big games. If we can gain some sense of confidence against past state championship programs then we also should be able to give anybody in the state a good game. Our players need to believe in themselves and sometimes understand that the score of a game does not always dictate the level of play for that game. We can only control our own thoughts and actions and if we focus on making sure we are giving 110%, then we will have nothing to be ashamed of.