Cupertino Cougars
Bantam-A 2001/2002 Ice Hockey Team
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2001-2002 Preseason Schedule Date Day Time Location Opponent Game # Result 8-Sep-2001 Saturday 11:25AM San Mateo Santa Clara 024HK1 W, 4-3 16-Sep-2001 Sunday 8:00PM Berkeley Tri-Valley 035DR1 L, 4-3 22-Sep-2001 Saturday 4:40PM Vallco High Sierra 044VP1 W, 2-0 23-Sep-2001 Sunday 4:15PM Stockton Stockton 045NP1 L, 3-1
Cougars Rally to Win Preseason Opener, 4-3
September 8, 2001
Daniel Willenborg kept battling after having two shots rejected to notch a late, game-winning goal in the Cupertino Cougars preseason opener vs. the Santa Clara Blackhawks. The 4-3 victory was a hard-fought contest with the home-team Cougars needing to claw their way back from a 2-0 deficit midway into the second period.With both teams lacing it up for their first live action of the year, it was no surprise that it took awhile to shake the cobwebs loose. Neither team was able to score in a first period that saw only ten total shots. The two best scoring opportunities were generated by the visiting Blackhawks. But Cougars goalie Addison (where's your bio?) Lee was up to the task. Lee first rejected a breakaway opportunity at 11:45 and later came up big on another unmolested scoring chance at 5:26. In between, the Cougars performed well on the penalty kill, led by blueliner Eric Blumenthal. The period ended in a 0-0 deadlock.
Santa Clara came out inspired in the second period and tallied two goals in the first 4:36 to take a 2-0 lead. The initial goal was on a rebound and the second came on a one-timer. Santa Clara held the 2-0 lead until the half-way point of the game. But then Cupertino speedster Dustin Thomas got the Cougars untracked at 6:39 on a scramble in front of the net. Thomas gathered in a rebound and flipped a backhander into the corner to make it 2-1. Ian Brown picked up the assist. 25 seconds later, the Cougars picked up a penalty and went back on the penalty kill. This time is was Michelle Chee with the strong special teams effort, tying up the puck along the boards and generating a shorthanded shot on goal. Cougars goalie Sarsh Levine came into the game to play the second half of the game and he was tested right away on a tough backhand shot at 5:08. Levine stopped the shot & pounced on the puck to keep the Cougars within one. With only 38 seconds left in the period Thomas tied it up with a breakaway goal. Derek Fredericks banged a clearing pass off the boards and Thomas picked it up and was off to the races. With a nifty little move in front of the net, Thomas found a big opening on the backhand side to tie the score at 2-2 heading into the final period.
Santa Clara only managed two, third-period shots, but they made one of them count, connecting on a rebound at 12:41 to regain the lead, 3-2. It took the Cougars less than a minute to get that one back, with Michelle Chee rifling in a one-timer off a nice feed from behind the net by Derek Fredericks. The teams continued to battle through the period and it became apparent that the next goal would probably be the game-winner. The Cougars nearly scored at 6:16 but the Blackhawks goaltender made his best save of the day to keep the game knotted at 3-3. With the Cougars continuing to press the action late in the period, the hard work finally paid off. Cougars Ashley Ocampo and Daniel Willenborg generated shots right in front of the Blackhawks net. Willenborg continued to battle, picking up the second rebound and getting one more chance that he made count at 1:50. Eric Blumenthal also picked up an assist on the game-winning goal. The Cougars killed off the remaining 1:50, and skated off with their first victory of the preseason.
,Santa Clara, 3
BOX SCORE
1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL Santa Clara 0 2 1 3 Cupertino 0 2 2 4 Scoring Summary
First Period
Scoring: No scoring. Penalties: Thomas, Cupertino (elbowing), 9:49; Costa, Santa Clara (boarding), 4:54.
Second Period
Scoring: 1, Santa Clara, Costa (Castagna), 12:33. 2, Santa Clara, Costa (Wintgen, Castagna), 10:24. 3, Cougars, Thomas 1 (Brown), 6:39. 4, Cougars, Thomas 2 (Fredericks), 0:38. Penalties: Hopper, Cupertino (roughing), 6:14; Yindiphol, Cupertino (slashing), 3:17.Third Period
Scoring: 5, Santa Clara, Ganz (Baldo, Lee), 12:41. 6, Cougars, Chee 1 (Fredericks, Hopper), 11:44. 7, Willenborg 1 (Ocampo, Blumenthal), 1:50. Penalties: Costa, Santa Clara (holding), 0:23.Plus/Minus: +2 (Yindiphol, Blumenthal); +1 (Thomas, Willenborg, Ocampo, McCarthy, Brown); even (Zebrowski, Fredericks, Hopper, Howe, Chibidakis, Chee); -2 (Dines, Ernst) ; DNP (Hitchcock, Ady).
Hits: 2 (Brown); 1 (Thomas, Yindiphol, Dines, Ernst).
SHOTS ON GOAL
Power-play Conversions: Cupertino - 0 of 2; Santa Clara - 0 of 3. Goalies: Cupertino, Lee (13 shots, 11 saves) and Levine @ mid second period (8 shots, 7 saves; record 1-0-0). Santa Clara, Begg (26 shots, 22 saves).
Santa Clara 6 13 2 --21 Cougars 4 8 14 --26
Three Stars Of the Game
Dustin Thomas - 2 goals - 2 points. Turned score from 0-2 to 2-2. Plus/minus of +1.
Daniel Willenborg - 1 goal - 1 point. Notched game-winner with 1:50 left. Plus/minus of +1.
Derek Fredericks - 2 assists - 2 points. Set-ups led to team's 2nd & 3rd goals. Plus/minus of even.
September 16, 2001
The Tri-Valley Blue Devils picked up a third-period goal just one second after the Cupertino Cougars had managed to kill off a penalty to slip past the the Cougars, 4-3 on Sunday. Unlike the previous week when Cupertino started slowly and finished strong, this week the Cougars needed only 36 seconds to light the lamp, scoring on a long slapshot by defenseman Ben Dines. But the Cougars could manage only three shots and no goals in the decisive third period. Derek Fredericks led the visiting Cougars with two goals. Dines' goal was Cupertino's only other tally . Between the pipes, Addison Lee stopped nine of ten shots.This game featured lots of early action and one bad bounce. Three goals were scored before the contest was two minutes old. The first tally belonged to the Cougars' Ben Dines. Dines rifled a long slapshot that found a corner and Cupertino led 1-0 at 14:24. It took the Blue Devils all of twelve seconds to tie the score on a rebound goal. A short time later, Tri-Valley had its first lead of the game. Again it was a rebound goal that cost the Cougars, this one coming at 13:01. Play began to settle down at that point. The middle of the period featured a nice hit and some strong forechecking from Devin Ernst. Ben Dines made a heads-up defensive play to break up a Blue Devils rush at 5:18. At 2:43, a Tri-Valley player shook loose on what appeared to be a breakaway, but Dustin Thomas streaked in from behind to break up the play. A short time later Eric Blumenthal gained control of the puck and moved it into the Blue Devil's zone. Blumenthal did a nice job maintaining control of the puck long enough to send in a centering pass. Derek Fredericks gathered in the disk and fired a snapshot over the goaltender's shoulder to tie the score at the 1:33 mark.
Barely a minute into the second period, Tri-Valley generated a good scoring chance inside. Goaltender Sarsh Levine made the initial save but the puck trickled loose just outside the crease. Jordan Yindiphol rushed in however and swept the puck out of harm's way. At 13:20, Eric Blumenthal made a strong defensive play to separate a Devil from the puck on a 1-on-1 rush. At 11:54, Levine made a tough save up high on a wide open shot during another 1-on-1 rush. Back the other way, Ashley Ocampo took a centering pass from Dustin Thomas and fired a backhander that required a nice save by the Devils' netminder. Tri-Valley finally regained the lead, 3-2 on a fluke goal at 8:29. Preparing for a line change, the Blue Devils flipped the puck harmlessly from center ice into the Cougars' zone. Upon hitting the frozen tundra, the rubber frisbee took a funny bounce in the opposite direction and snuck into the net. While it wasn't the game-winner, it might have been the back breaker. Certainly, it's one that the Cougars would like to have back. Cupertino had its first power play opportunity at 6:57 but they were not able to generate any decent scoring opportunities. At 4:12, Cougars' goalie Addison Lee made a solid stop on an open shot from the slot. The Cougars proceeded to tie the game 3-3 with 1:21 left in the second stanza. Defenseman Kelli Howe battled for the puck along the boards and managed to gain control, sending a pass to Derek Fredericks who was alone in the slot. Fredericks teed up a slapshot that got a piece of the goalie but still managed to slide past for his second goal and the team's third of the game.
Cupertino started the third period on a penalty kill and they did a nice job of killing it, thanks in part to zone-clearing plays by Nathan Zebrowski, Derek Fredericks, and Devin Ernst. The Cougars picked up another penalty at 11:48, but this time they weren't so fortunate. The special teams were up to the task early thanks to strong plays by Ernst, Zebrowski, and Kelli Howe. Addison Lee did his part with solid saves at 11:02 and 10:58. But Tri-Valley kept up the pressure and finally scored just one second after the Cougars' penalty expired. From that point on, the Blue Devils went into a prevent defense and Cupertino was not able to penetrate. Eric Blumenthal helped to keep the game within reach by breaking up a 2-on-1 at 4:22. At 0:50, the Blue Devils picked up a penalty and the Cougars pulled their goalie to finish the game with a 6-on-4 advantage. But Cupertino was unable to get off a clean shot and as the clock wound down, the Devils cleared to zone to eliminate any chance of last-second heroics.
Cupertino finishes out their preseason schedule next weekend with games against High Sierra and Stockton. Those teams will be good tests for the Cougars, given that they share the distinction of both having defeated Tri-Valley handily.
BOX SCORE
1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL Cupertino 2 1 0 3 Tri-Valley 2 1 1 4 Scoring Summary
First Period
Scoring: 1, Cougars, Dines 1 (unassisted), 14.24. 2, Tri-Valley, Kurbatsky (Perna), 14:12. 3, Tri-Valley, Lee (Carey), 13:01. 4, Cougars, Fredericks 1 (Blumenthal), 1:33. Penalties: None.
Second Period
Scoring: 5, Tri-Valley, Wesoler (Smallhoover, Forster), 8:29. 6, Cougars, Fredericks 2 (Howe), 1:21. Penalties: Lee, Tri-Valley (interference), 6:57; Chibidakis, Cupertino (roughing), 0:00.Third Period
Scoring: 7, Tri-Valley, Kurbatsky (Perna), 9:47. Penalties: Thomas, Cupertino (interference), 11:48; Hassler, Tri-Valley (tripping), 0:50.Plus/Minus: +1 (Ernst, Fredericks, Howe, Blumenthal); even (Ady, McCarthy, Hopper, Chibidakis, Chee); -1 (Zebrowski, Ocampo, Thomas); -2 (Yindiphol, Dines, Willenborg); DNP (Hitchcock, Brown).
Hits: 2 (Ady, Hopper); 1 (McCarthy, Zebrowski, Ernst, Chibidakis).
SHOTS ON GOAL
Power-play Conversions: Cupertino - 0 of 2; Tri-Valley - 0 of 2. Goalies: Cupertino, Levine (9 shots, 6 saves) and Lee @ 8:29 of second period (10 shots, 9 saves; record 0-1-0). Tri-Valley, Fortenay (17 shots, 14 saves).
Cougars 8 6 3 --17 Tri-Valley 7 5 7 --19
Derek Fredericks - 2 goals - 2 points. Found net on a snapper & a slapper. Plus/minus of +1.
Eric Blumenthal - 1 assist - 1 point. Solid D & nice helper on second goal. Plus/minus of +1.
Devin Ernst - Strong all-around play with no goals allowed while on ice. Plus/minus +1.
September 22, 2001
High Sierra brought their high-flying, hard-hitting brand of hockey to the lowlands Saturday and the Cupertino Cougars responded with their best effort of the preseason, shutting out the Wild by a 2-0 score. Devin Ernst had the big goal in this game, recording the game winner early in the second period. But this contest belonged to the defense and the goaltending. Cupertino held the Wild to only 15 shots including none in the critical third period. Addison Lee was spectacular in net, stopping all 15 shots including at least a half-dozen that were good scoring chances. The Cougars' defensive effort was strong all-around, but the blueliners were particularly tough. Jordan Yindiphol, Kelli Howe, Eric Blumenthal, Ashley Ocampo, and Daniel McCarthy shut down the quick High Sierra forwards time and time again. Dustin Thomas added an insurance goal in the third period to secure the victory.Without a doubt, Cupertino faced its most physical opponent of the young season. The hard checking was evident from the opening faceoff. Cupertino responded with some strong physical play of their own in a first period that would wind up scoreless. The Cougars were unable to generate much offense on their lone power play effort of the period, which came at 13:26. Devin Ernst and Jordan Yindiphol helped kill the Cougars' first shorthanded situation, which came at 11:07. Each player broke up a Wild power play rush by icing the puck the length of the ice. Cupertino faced another shorthanded situation at 6:15 and the team responded again. This time it was Daniel McCarthy leading the way, clearing the zone on two separate occasions. Addison Lee's two strong saves finished the job and the teams went back to even strength. Cupertino's offense began to click in the latter stages of the period. Michelle Chee nearly slipped a backhander into the corner of the net but was denied at 3:20. Following a strong defensive play, Jordan Yindiphol led two rushes at the other end of the ice. He sent a hard slapshot toward the net that hit teammate Daniel Willenborg, who then rifled a shot on goal that was set aside. Then, at 1:13, Yindiphol sent a nice pass to Kelli Howe, who's shot was also saved by the Wild netminder. At 0:34, Dustin Thomas hammered a sharp-angle shot on goal that found its way to the goaltender, who dropped on the rebound just as Derek Fredericks attempted to bang the rebound home.
The Cougars kept up the pressure in early second period action. At 13:50, Dustin Thomas found an opening in the slot and sent a shot on goal that rebounded out to Ben Dines. Dines pounced on the rebound but his shot was rejected as well. Matt Hopper and Ashley Ocampo were the next to team up in an effort to get the Cougars on the board. Hopper managed to dig out the puck along the boards, sending a pass to Ocampo. Her shot from the corner of the net just missed connecting. Finally, Cupertino's hard work paid off. At 11:01, Derek Fredericks gathered in a loose puck behind the net. He sent a pass out through the crease that glanced off Michelle Chee to an open Devin Ernst. Ernst found nothing but net and the Cougars took a 1-0 lead. The Cougars' goal seemed to inspire the visiting Wild and the momentum began to shift again. At 10:45, Addison Lee made a great save from point-blank range. Then, at 10:12, Eric Blumenthal's outstanding individual effort broke up what looked to be a High Sierra breakaway coming off a Cupertino turnover. At 9:32, Cupertino went on a 4:00 minute power play that never really got untracked. After killing a penalty of their own, Lee came up big again, stopping a tricky spin-o-rama backhanded shot at 4:34. Cupertino's best chance of the period to extend its lead came in the final minute. Ben Dines sent a crisp pass to Daniel Willenborg who was rushing toward the net on a 2-on-1. Dines' pass found Willenborg's stick but the puck never found the net and the period ended with the Cougars clinging to the 1-0 lead.
High Sierra had a new goalie between the pipes in the third period and it took the Cougars less than five minutes to double their offensive output. Dustin Thomas intercepted a clearing pass and ripped a snapshot over the goaltender's shoulder to make it 2-0 at 10:13. Cupertino played conservative offense and outstanding defense the rest of the way. Jordan Yindiphol broke up a 2-on-2 rush at 3:40 that at first looked to be headed somewhere. At 1:57, Eric Blumenthal blocked a hard shot from the slot and sent the puck clear of the zone. That was the last chance for the Wild and the final seconds wound down in High Sierra's own zone on a Kelli Howe slapshot that nearly found a hole between the goaltender's pads.
With the win, Cupertino moves to 2-1, with one remaining preseason game on the schedule. High Sierra drops to 1-2.
BOX SCORE
1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL High Sierra 0 0 0 0 Cupertino 0 1 1 2 Scoring Summary
First Period
Scoring: None. Penalties: Lyng, High Sierra (interference), 13:26; Hopper, Cupertino (roughing), 11:07; Blumenthal, Cupertino (tripping), 6:15.
Second Period
Scoring: 1, Cougars, Ernst 1 (Fredericks, Chee), 11:01. Penalties: Goolsby, High Sierra (2:00 holding & 4:00 roughing), 9:32; Thomas, Cupertino (holding), 9:32; Thomas, Cupertino (roughing), 6:20; Cupertino bench (too many men on the ice), 3:02.Third Period
Scoring: 2, Cougars, Thomas 3 (unassisted), 10:03. Penalties: None.Plus/Minus: +2 (Yindiphol, Howe); +1 (Thomas, Willenborg, Dines, Ernst, Fredericks, Chee); even (Blumenthal, Hopper, Ocampo, McCarthy, Zebrowski); DNP (Ady, Brown, Chibidakis, Hitchcock).
Hits: 4 (Thomas); 2 (Blumenthal, Yindiphol); 1 (Ocampo, Fredericks, Hopper).
SHOTS ON GOAL
Power-play Conversions: Cupertino - 0 of 4; High Sierra - 0 of 3. Goalies: Cupertino, Lee (15 shots, 15 saves; record 1-1-0). High Sierra, Petrilini (21 shots, 19 saves).
High Sierra 8 7 0 --15 Cougars 5 10 6 --21
Addison Lee - 15 shots & 15 save, including several good scoring chances, for the shutout.
Jordan Yindiphol - His defensive play was key to the shutout. 2 hits & a plus/minus of +2.
Kelli Howe - Outstanding defensive effort throughout. Strong p-kill & a plus/minus of +2.
September 23, 2001
One day after playing what was probably their best hockey game of the preseason, the Cupertino Cougars came up short against the Stockton Colts, 3-1. Neither team was able to muster much of a transition game and the result was a lot of back & forth hockey, but not many scoring chances. Cupertino outshot the Colts, 19-12, but Stockton had better scoring opportunities, connecting twice and adding a late, empty-net tally. The Cougars lone goal was scored by Nathan Zebrowski on a nice deflection off of an Eric Blumenthal slapshot.Cupertino took an early penalty in the first period, interrupting any chance for a quick start. But Daniel McCarthy, Jordan Yindiphol, and Nathan Zebrowski led a successful penalty kill that included a steal and a shorthanded shot on goal that was just wide from Zebrowski. Stockton got on the scoreboard first, connecting on a 2-on-1, odd-man rush at 10:10. At 9:40, the Colts nearly connected again on a similar play, but the shot glanced off the post. Cupertino's Ben Dines executed a strong wraparound shot at 8:22, but Stockton's goalie made the save. Cupertino followed that effort up with their lone goal of the game. Eric Blumenthal gathered in a loose puck just inside the blueline and sent a shot toward the pipes. Nathan Zebrowski deflected Blumenthal's shot straight into the net to tie the score at 1-1. Devin Ernst nearly had a breakaway for the Cougars at 6:25, taking a nice poke feed from Michelle Chee. The Colts made the smart play, taking Ernst down before he could get up a full head of steam. The resulting power play effort was ineffective and the teams returned to full strength at 4:25. Stockton regained the lead a short time later, scoring on a rebound off of a long slapshot through traffic. Cougars' goalie Sarsh Levine made an impressive save at 10:42, stopping a 2-on-2 rush that came into the zone under a full head of steam. Back the other way, Jordan Yindiphol sent a slapshot off the post. The Colts drew another penalty on the play, giving Cupertino the man-advantage. At 7:55, Dustin Thomas took a shot that Ashley Ocampo tipped just wide of the net. The balance of the period was penalty-marred but neither team was able to score on their power play opportunities. Daniel McCarthy delivered a big hit during a Colts power play. Ben Dines and Devin Ernst also looked strong while the Cougars were skating shorthanded. The period ended with the Colts still ahead, 2-1.
The visiting Cougars tried to pick up the pressure in the third period but Stockton never allowed Cupertino very much space to maneuver. Matt Hopper ripped a hard, low shot that was stopped by the Colts' netminder at 8:29. Ben Dines then tried the other direction sending a slapshot top shelf that was gloved and held. Ashley Ocampo's pinpoint pass resulted in a long, one-timer that was also stopped as the clock wound down to 6:45. Cupertino went on their third and final power play of the game at 5:05. Again, there were no solid scoring opportunities as a result, with the Cougars' best chance coming on a shot that Hopper sent wide at 4:23. The game's last minute was fast & furious with Cupertino battling in Stockton's end for a chance to even the score. But as the clock wound down, the Colts cleared the zone and nailed the lid on the coffin with an empty netter with just three ticks left on the clock.
Cupertino finishes the preseason with a 2-2 record. On the bright side, everyone on the team believes that they have the talent to be 4-0 at this point. The team will get better when everyone is healthy and that should be the case soon. So, a fresh start and a 0-0 record doesn't look half-bad right now.
BOX SCORE
1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL Cupertino 1 0 0 1 Stockton 2 0 1 3 Scoring Summary
First Period
Scoring: 1, Romero, Stockton (Calhoun, Sandeval), 10:10. 2, Cougars, Zebrowski 1 (Blumenthal), 8:14. 3, Romero, Stockton (Moore), 1:21. Penalties: Ady, Cupertino (elbowing), 13:42; Pawoski, Stockton (roughing), 9:41.
Second Period
Scoring: None. Penalties: Thompson, Stockton (roughing), 9:41; Pawoski, Stockton (holding), 6:05; Thomas, Cupertino (5:00 kicking & game misconduct), 6:05; Pawoski, Stockton (high sticking), 3:12; Zebrowski, Cupertino (interference), 1:30.Third Period
Scoring: 4, Pawoski, Stockton (Silvernail), 0:03 (en). Penalties: Sandeval, Stockton (roughing), 5:05.Plus/Minus: even (Ady, Willenborg, Ernst, Blumenthal, Thomas, McCarthy); -1 (Hopper, Zebrowski, Chibidakis, Yindiphol, Fredericks, Chee; Howe); -2 (Ocampo, Dines,); DNP (Brown, Hitchcock).
Hits: 2 (Thomas, Yindiphol); 1 (Zebrowski, Chibidakis, Chee, McCarthy).
SHOTS ON GOAL
Power-play Conversions: Cupertino - 0 of 3; Stockton - 0 of 3. Goalies: Cupertino, Levine (11 shots, 9 saves; record 1-1-0). Stockton, Matthews (19 shots, 18 saves).
Cougars 8 6 5 --19 Stockton 7 2 3 --12
Ben Dines - Visible thoughout the game, generating several shots. Strong at both ends.
Michelle Chee - Won just about every battle for the puck. Good passing & solid D.
Nathan Zebrowski - Perfect deflection on Cougars' lone goal. Solid on special teams.
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