2002-03 Archives

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Jr. Blues Win the Hurster Cup!

Jr. Blues Beat the Alumni in National Tune-Up!

Jr. Blues win CSHL, Headed to National Championships!

CSHL Showcase Review

Former Jr. Blue Makes Pro Debut

Four Jr. Blues Named to the CSHL All-Star Team

Jr. Blues Sport Young Roster

St. Louis Jr. Blues 2002 Draft; May and June Camp Signings

St. Louis Jr. Blues 2002 Draft; May and June Camp Signings

The following players were selected in the CSHL 2002 draft.

Matt Buha - St. Louis Jr. Sting AAA
Anthony Calcaterra - Affton Midget CSDHL Midget AA
Richie Estopare - St. Louis Midget AAA
Mark Fischer - Kirkwood High School
Wes Gale - Lafayette High School
Jeff Gumaer - St. Louis Jr. Sting AAA
Michael Hutchison - SLUH High School
Michael Kearns - St. Louis AAA
Larry Kopecky - St. Louis Jr. Sting AAA
Kyle Kraemer - St. Louis AAA
Jon Laughner - Park Tudor
Andrew Meyer - St. Louis Jr. Sting AAA
Branden Moran - St. Louis Jr. Sting AAA
Sean Muncy - St. Louis AAA
Mike Radja - Team Illinois
Jordan Ross - Lincoln Jr. Stars
Scott Ross - Rockford High School
Zane Truman - Affton CSDHL Midget AA
Joe Vitale - Affton CSDHL Midget AA
Blake Yanics - Affton CSDHL Midget AA

The following players accepted contracts at our May Camp:

Chris Butler - 1986 St. Louis AAA
Kyle Butler - 1986 St. Louis AAA
Richie Estopare - St. Louis AAA Midget Major
Thomas Fortney - 1986 St. Louis AAA
Derek Janssen - St. Louis Jr. Sting
Mike Knabe - St. Louis AAA Midget Major
Larry Kopecky - St. Louis Jr. Sting
Andy Meyer - St. Louis Jr. Sting
Branden Moran - St. Louis Jr. Sting
Travis Turnbull - 1986 St. Louis AAA

The following players were invited to the Main Camp in August:

Tommy Anderson
Nick Berra
Matt Buha
Michael Davies
Matt Hill
Elliot Hogue
Tim Huber
Tony Jost
Jarred Killoren
Michael Levin
Michael Poepping
Jeremy Ramsey
Kyle Rhodes
Skip Seeger
Jacob Seeman
John Shelmire
Clayton Thole
Jason Vogt

Congratulations to Wes Gale (St. Louis Midget Rockets/Lafayette Lancers) and Joey Vitale (Affton CSDHL Midgets/CBC Cadets) who accepted contracts at the June Camp. The following players were added to the August Main Camp invitation list from the June Camp:

Tony Biffignani
Anthony Calcaterra
Ben Dinehart
Kyle Heitman
Joel Herr
Dave Kleuskens
Scott Jensen
Shawn O'Donoghue
Steve Sommerich
Greg Topolski

These players will join the signed players, returning veterans, May Camp invitees, plus a few other invitees to compete for the final 2002-2003 St. Louis Jr. Blues roster.

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Jr. Blues Sport Young Roster

With the Main Camp completed the Jr. Blues have finalized their roster. The team will be very young compared to last year's squad but with some growth and experience the young talent will have an opportunity to grow. The Jr. Blues will be counting heavily on their few veterans: Jim Jost, Nathan Hucker, Steve Parsons, Pete Wildhaber, and Nick Karcher.

St. Louis Jr. Blues Roster:

Goaltenders:
Steve Parsons: (1982) Parsons sported the CSHL top goaltender stats last year for the Jr. Blues.
Blake Yanics: (1985) Led his Tier II Affton CSDHL Midget team to the National Championship game last year and played for the CBC Cadets High School.

Defense:
Nathan Hucker: (1982) Returns as a proven top defenseman from last season.
Nick Karcher: (1982) Comes home after playing for the AWHL champions Bozeman Ice Dogs.
Pete Wildhaber: (1985) Second year defenseman who saw 28 games last year. Who also played for the CBC Cadets high School.
Chris Butler: (1986) Played last season with the 86 AAA St. Louis Amateur Blues and the Chaminade Red Devils High School.
Kyle Butler: (1986) Played with the 86 AAA St. Louis Amateur Blues and the SLUH Jr. Billikens High School.
Mike Knabe: (1985) Played Midget Major AAA for the St. Louis Amateur Blues
Mike Levin: (1986) Played with the 86 AAA St. Louis Amateur Blues and the Lafayette Lancers High School.
Steven Sommerich: (1985) Played for the Missouri High School state champions DeSmet Spartans.

Forwards:
Tony Biffignani: (1985) Played for the Midget Major AAA St. Louis Jr. Sting and the DeSmet Spartans High School.
Thomas Fortney: (1986) Played for the 86 AAA St. Louis Amateur Blues and the Webster Groves Skatesmen High School.
Richie Estopare: (1985) Played for the Midget Major AAA St. Louis Amateur Blues and the Vianney Golden Griffins High School.
Wes Gale: (1985) Played for the Creve Coeur AA Midget Rockets and the Lafayette Lancers high School.
Shawn Gawrys: (1987) Played for the 87 AAA St. Louis Amateur Blues and the CBC Cadets High School.
Kyle Kraemer: (1985) Played for the Midget Major AAA St. Louis Amateur Blues and the CBC Cadets High School.
Derek Janssen: (1985) Played for the Midget Major AAA St. Louis Jr. Sting.
Jim Jost: (1983) Returning Assistant Captain for the Jr. Blues and this season's Captain.
Larry Kopecky: (1984) Played for the Midget Major AAA St. Louis Jr. Sting and the Rockwood Summit Falcons High School.
Branden Moran: (1985) Played for the Midget Major AAA St. Louis Jr. Sting and for Ladue Rams High School.
Clayton Thole: (1985) Played for the Midget Major AAA St. Louis Amateur Blues.
Zane Truman: (1985)Played for the Midget Affton CSDHL team and the DeSmet Spartans High School.
Travis Turnbull: (1986) Played for the 86 AAA St. Louis Amateur Blues and the Marquette Mustangs High School.
Joey Vitale: (1985) Played for the Midget Affton CSDHL team and the CBC Cadets High School.

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Jr. Blues Battle both Springfields!

Playing their first game against the talented Jr. A, Springfield Jr. Blues was a tough way to start the season. The NAHL team had a tremendous size and age advantage but this did not deter the young St. Louis Jr. Blues from giving it their best effort. The first period was scoreless, but the St. Louis squad had most of the good scoring opportunities. The Springfield goaltender made numerous great saves as St. Louis out shot Springfield 7-4 in the period. The second period was played at the same up tempo and remained scoreless until 9 minutes remaining when Springfield scored the first goal. Goaltender Blake Yanics made numerous good saves but Springfield scored two more quick goals. Kyle Kraemer scored on a deflection of a Kyle Butler shot to cut the lead to 3-1 at the end of two periods. Springfield outshot St. Louis 14-10 in the stanza. The third period was penalty full with Springfield scoring two power play goals and a short handed goal to give the NAHL team a 6-1 victory. Springfield outshot St. Louis 29-23 for the game. St. Louis heads to Springfield, MO to play the Spirit on Saturday night.

Scoring summary:
Kyle Kraemer 1 goal
Kyle Butler 1 assist
Larry Kopecky 1 assist

Goaltending:

Blake Yanics: 3 goals on 18 shots (40 minutes)
Steve Parsons: 3 goals on 11 shots (20 minutes)

8/24/02

The Saturday night game in Springfield Mo. against the Spirit provided much entertainment for the 700 plus fans in attendance. Less than two minutes into the first period, the Jr. Blues took the lead on a Larry Kopecky goal. Kopecky forced a turnover on the forecheck and Joey Vitale drove the net for a shot with Kopecky converting the rebound. The goal held up as the only score in the period as Steve Parsons was outstanding making 14 saves as the Jr. Blues were outshot 14-6. Just 10 seconds into the 2nd period, the Vitale line struck again. Chris Butler took the Vitale draw and hit Kopecky entering the zone. Kopecky slid the puck just inside the blue line to Vitale who hit Nick Bilpush driving to the net. Bilpush netted the goal to give the Jr. Blues a shocking 2-0 lead. The second period then became a run and gun fast paced action with the Sprit converting 4 goals to take a 4-2 lead. The Spirit outshot the Jr. Blues 19-11 in the stanza. Early in the third period, the three youngest Jr. Blues combined for a goal. Shawn Gawrys (1987 birthdate) forced a turnover inside the Spirit zone. Thomas Fortney (1986 birthdate) then made a spectacular pass to Travis Turnbull (1986 birthdate) who deflected the pass into the empty side of the net to cut the Spirit lead to one. The Spirit added an insurance goal on a power play later in the period to close out the scoring.

Scoring Summary:

Larry Kopecky: 1 goal, 1 assist
Joey Vitale: 2 assists
Nick Bilpush: 1 goal
Travis Turnbull: 1 goal
Thomas Fortney: 1 assist
Shawn Gawrys: 1 assist

Steve Parsons: 4 goals on 31 shots (40 minutes)
Blake Yanics: 1 goal on 11 shots (20 minutes)

The two games did provide the Jr. Blues a great opportunity to see what the level of Jr. A is all about. It showed the young team they are certainly not that far from that level, but have many things to improve on to reach the Jr. A level. A special thanks to both the Spirit and the Jr. Blues (Springfield) for hosting us this weekend.

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Four Jr. Blues Named To
CSHL All-Star Team

The CSHL has been invited to place an all star team in the Compuware Fall Classic. This prestigious Jr. A tournament will skate 19 Jr. A teams plus the CSHL All Stars. Each CSHL team will have at least one representative on the team. The coaches in the CSHL voted for the players this past weekend. Four Jr. Blues were selected: Thomas Fortney, Nathan Hucker, Larry Kopecky, and Travis Turnbull. The Tournament is highly scouted by NCAA Division I and Division III schools. Plus almost the entire Jr. A and Tier I Jr. A (USHL) will be scouting this Tournament. The CSHL All Stars are scheduled to play the New York Apple Core (EJHL), Cleveland Barons (NAHL), and Chicago Freeze (NAHL). Congratulations to Thomas, Nathan, Larry and Travis!

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Former Jr. Blue Makes Pro Debut

Last season's standout J.P. Beilsten signed his first pro contract last Friday. Below is the Otters press release:

River Otters Sign St. Louis Native Beilsten Oct. 25, 2002

Head coach/director of hockey operations Mark Reeds of the Missouri River Otters of the United Hockey League (UHL) announced today that St. Louis native J.P. Beilsten has been signed to a 14-day professional tryout agreement. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Beilsten, who will turn 21 on November 20, will make his professional debut tonight at the Family Arena. He was signed after wingers Marty Melnychuk (10-day IR) and Andy Burnham (7-day IR) were placed on the injured reserve.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward, who attended McCluer High School, has played the last two seasons with the St. Louis Junior “B” Blues of the Central States Hockey League (CSHL). Last season, he racked up 79 points (37g, 42a) in 44 games with 309 penalty minutes with the Junior “B” Blues.

Reeds said Beilsten has been a hard working player for the past month and has waited for his chance.

“He had a good camp for us,” said Reeds, “but it’s a big jump from Junior “B” to the pro level. We’re anxious to see how he competes here. Based on what we’ve seen, we’re confident he can help our club in the absence of two players.”

25 Beilsten, J.P.
Position: Forward Shoots: Right Birth date: 11/20/81
Height: 5’11" Weight: 185 Birthplace: St. Louis, MO

Playoffs Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM2000-01 St. Louis Junior “B” Blues CSHL 28 7 9 16 1512001-02 St. Louis Junior “B” Blues CSHL 44 37 42 79 309

J.P. played in all three Otters games this past weekend. J.P. is excited to be playing at this level and is looking forward to cashing his first pro check.

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CSHL Showcase Review

The Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL offered Travis Turnbull a Tender for the 2003-2004 season after watching Travis in the Showcase this weekend. The 1986 center was flying this weekend despite his recent knee injury. Sioux City assistant coach Marty Quarters also expressed interest in Thomas Fortney, Chris Butler and Shawn Gawrys. The young Jr. Blues were the talk of the weekend with Blake Yanics and Mike Knabe also receiving attention. Several Division III coaches were in attendance as all of the Jr. Blues "older" players were recruited heavily. Nathan Hucker, Steve Parsons, Nick Bilpush, Nick Karcher, T.J. Toal, and Tony Miller were the attention getters of the collegiate scouts. With all the interest in the Jr. Blues it appears that the 2003 graduating Jr. Blues class just might be the most successful yet.

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Jr. Blues Win CSHL, Headed To The National Championships!

Back in mid August, the young Jr. Blues completed their Main Camp. With only three players from last season's CSHL first place team, their expectations were not high. But the young Jr. Blues had other ideas. Two exhibition games with the Springfield Spirit and the Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL Jr. A teams) in late August showed the talent and skill this team possessed. The team started strong with two wins in the Showcase in Peoria. But the youth showed with the home opening loss against Flint. In mid October, the team took off. Sweeping the very good Grand Rapids Jr. Owls in Grand Rapids might have been the turning point of the season. In the second game, defensemen Nick Karcher and Nathan Hucker each were injured in the first period. The young defensemen stepped it up in the physical battle as the Jr. Blues prevailed. The next weekend the Jr. Blues swept the Peoria Mustangs at home. Then a two game showdown against the preseason favorite to win the CSHL in Toledo. Steve Parsons 2-0 shutout and a dominant 7-4 win put the Jr. Blues in control of the League. Two weeks later they completed their season sweep of the Mustangs with two wins in Peoria. There were bumps on the road, as the young team seem to struggle against the weaker teams in the league. Losses to Metro and Cleveland showed the inexperience of the team. As the Jr. Blues came home in February, they needed four wins to clinch the CSHL title. Back to back 5-0 shutouts against the Columbus Crush, gave them the season series. Then Wayne came to town as the only team the Jr. Blues had not beaten. 5-1 and 4-0 wins clinched the CSHL Championship in style. The Jr. Blues have had several keys to their success. The goaltending tandem of Steve Parsons and Blake Yanics are the top two goaltenders in the CSHL. Defensively, Nathan Hucker and Nick Karcher have shown veteran leadership all season. When Pete Wildhaber came back from his injury, the defensive play of the team took a noticeable jump. Rookie Chris Butler has shown great poise and has brought the attention of numerous Jr. A teams. Rookies Mike Knabe, Kyle Butler and Mike Levin have all stepped up their game and been a huge part of the team's success. With the return of Tony Miller, the team has great depth and talent on the blue line.
The Jr. Blues have consistently played four lines that have contributed all season. Thomas Fortney is leading the team in scoring and is second in the CSHL. Nick Bilpush is not far behind as he leads the team in goals. Travis Turnbull has already signed with Sioux City for next year and has gotten better each week. Joey Vitale is the team's power forward that has every Jr. A team in the nation after him. Larry Kopecky carried the team offensively in the first half of the season and has continued his great play. T.J. Toal return has given the Jr. Blues the most explosive player in the CSHL. Young Shawn Gawrys has dazzled the league with his hands. Team Captain Jim Jost has led this team with his relentless hard work and timely goals. Tony Biffignani, Derek Janssen, and Richie Estopare have each been key players who have won games with their scoring and have contributed throughout the season. Branden Moran has come back from injury to be a dominant player the second half and Zane Truman also coming back from injury has contributed with several goals. This talented group of forwards has torn up the CSHL with their speed and amazing depth.
Truly the depth of the team has been the biggest factor in their success. Each player has contributed and can share in the satisfaction of knowing they were a big part of this CSHL Championship team.

The Jr. Blues will compete in the National Championships in Blaine, Minnesota on April 4-8.

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Jr. Blues Beat the Alumni in National Tune-Up!

The purpose of the game was to prepare the Jr. Blues for the Olympic size ice surface that they will be skating on in the Nationals. But the both teams were also playing for a little pride. Branden Moran got the Jr. Blues on the board early as he converted a pass from Thomas Fortney. The Alumni tied the score on a great goal by Tony Sabo. In the second period, the Alumni came out strong. Weston Pongracz deflected a Kelsey Johnston shot to give the Alumni the lead. The Jr. Blues used a little luck to tie the game as Pete Wildhaber's shot deflected off of the Alumni's Tim Niedbalski. Nick Bilpush gave the Jr. Blues the lead one minute later with Moran and Nick Karcher assisting. Greg Anderson scored the goal of the night as he powered his way through the Jr. Blues to tie the game late in the second period. Derek Albers assisted on the goal. Early in the third period, Fortney scored for the Jr. Blues with Bilpush assisting. Matt Hrubes tied the game for the Alumni moments later on a shot from the point, assisted by Gary Brown. Well, too bad for the Alumni, but 10 minutes still remained. The young legs of the Jr. Blues seemed to carry them against the tired legs of the Alumni. T.J. Toal scored on a great pass from Travis Turnbull. Then with just two minutes remaining Jim Jost scored on a one-timer from the slot on a Bilpush pass. Shawn Gawrys scored an empty net goal to make the final 7-4. Goaltender Steve Parsons played for the Alumni and made over 40 saves on the night. Blake Yanics was tested for almost 30 shots as the Alumni seem to pick their shots more.

It was great to see several Alumni come out to help the Jr. Blues on their quest for the Nationals. Rob Scherer looked quick as the former Jr. Blue and former coach was a gritty competitor. Robby also was the GM and assistant coach of the team. Gary Brown, a former NAHL scoring champion showed his skill and explosiveness. Chris Kellogg, a former CSHL scoring champion, was his crafty self in the exciting game. Line mate Mike Jost looked determined as his personal battles were won over nephew Jimmy Jost. The crowd was disappointed not to see the patented Mike Jost one-timer as the Jr. Blues obviously kept close tabs on him. Defenseman Chad Rooney was as dominant on the blue line as in his last season when he led the Jr. Blues in plus/minus. Jeff Hays still showed his impressive speed and even made a few back checks. Matt Hrubes looks like his playing days from 10 years ago as the skilled defenseman scored. Tony Sabo was an invited guest who added even more skill to the Alumni. The Robert Morris University line of Greg Anderson, Derek Albers and Mike Panas, looked like the old Jr. Blues top line. Anderson made several power moves. Panas showed he still had the hands. And Albers made it through the game without biting anyone. Tim Niedbalski still can play with the best of them. Kelsey Johnston and his Mississippi Mud Midget partner Wes Pongracz were their usual feisty selves. Pongracz who just got off the plane from Sedona, Arizona was easily the farthest traveled. The game also had a special guest appearance from J.P. Beilsten who borrowed some skates and pads and dazzled the crowd for a few shifts.

The game was good for the current Jr. Blues to prepare for the Nationals. But the most fun of the evening was after the game where the tales of years past became the highlight of the evening. Obviously playing for the Jr. Blues creates a bond that lasts a lifetime. Great job Alumni!

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Jr. Blues Win the Hurster Cup!

The Jr. Blues had never won the Hurster Cup and the League Championship in the same season. It was a great challenge for this young team. The other teams in the Final Four each had swept their first round playoff opponent. Grand Rapids, Peoria and Wayne were definitely on their games.

Grand Rapids was the Jr. Blues first challenge. The game was fast paced, physical and just plain old fashion playoff hockey. Jr. Blues got goals from Larry Kopecky and Shawn Gawrys to fly to a first period lead. The Jr. Owls continued to play inspired hockey. Grand Rapids scored early in the second period to tighten the game. Then Chris Butler scored in the last minute of the period to make things a little comfortable. The Jr. Owls gave it their all in the third period. They scored a goal early on making the score 3-2. Then Nick Karcher blasted an insurance goal for the 4-2 final. Blake Yanics was particularly sharp in the third period as Grand Rapids outshot St. Louis 42-34.

On Friday, the Peoria Mustangs had something to prove and more importantly they needed a win to stay alive in their quest to make it to Nationals. The Mustangs had not beaten the Jr. Blues all season losing their five contests. In fact, in the Mustangs three seasons, they had only posted one victory against St. Louis, an overtime game last season. The Mustangs dominated the entire game. Winning 5-0 and out shooting the Jr. Blues 54-28. The determined Mustangs were not going to be denied.

So Saturday, the Jr. Blues needed a victory against the Wayne Wheels to advance to the Hurster Cup Championship Game. The Wheels had given the Jr. Blues trouble during the season as the Jr. blues posted a 2-1-0-1 record against them. The Jr. Blues had a very strong game and dominated from the start. Travis Turnbull scored twice and Jimmy Jost scored twice to give the Jr. Blues a 4-1 lead after two periods. Then a fluke goal early in the third period and a Wayne power play goal closed the score to 4-3. The Jr. Blues held the Wheels off for the rest of the game and added an empty net goal in the closing seconds.

The Championship game against Grand Rapids was a classic. The Jr. Blues found some energy and took command early. Branden Moran scored a power play goal. Then Travis Turnbull converted a T.J. Toal rebound for a 2-0 lead. Grand Rapids scored on an unlucky bounce off the boards right to a Jr. Owl all alone in the slot. The second period, the Jr. Blues came out flying again. Nick Bilpush converted a Thomas Fortney pass. Then Moran tipped a Tony Miller power play shot. Then T.J. Toal set up Shawn Gawrys on a two on one to give the Jr. Blues a seemingly comfortable 5-1 lead. But, the Grand Rapids Jr. Owls showed their never say die attitude. Three late second period goals closed the score to 5-4. The exciting third period had the crowd on the edge of their seats. Blake Yanics made 15 saves in the period with calm and control. Joey Vitale gave the home crowd something to really cheer about with 3:33 left in the game with an unassisted goal. Larry Kopecky then added an empty net goal. Then Nick Bilpush put the final tally of the CSHL season in the net with 1:01 remaining. As the seconds ticked down, the celebration started. At the buzzer Blake Yanics was mobbed by his jubilant teammates. After the traditional playoff handshake, the Jr. Blues added some more hardware. The Regular Season Championship Trophy was presented. The keepsake Playoff Trophy was presented. The team captain Jimmy Jost, assistant captains Nathan Hucker and Nick Karcher accepted the Hurster Cup traveling trophy. Then as "We are the Champions" was being played, the players took turns skating the Hurster Cup for a victory lap. The smiles were hard to erase. The sense of accomplishment was apparent in the eyes of each of the St. Louis Jr. Blues - League and Hurster Cup 2002-2003 Champions! The Jr. Blues head to Nationals with a look in their eye.

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Jr. Blues Sport Young Roster

Jr. Blues Battle both Springfields!

Four Jr. Blues Named To CSHL All-Star Team

Former Jr. Blue Makes Pro Debut

CSHL Showcase Review

Jr. Blues Beat the Alumni in National Tune-Up!

Jr. Blues Win the Hurster Cup!

Four Jr. Blues Named To
CSHL All-Star Team