Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Welcome to the 2009 Saints Summer Season

The Newmarket Saints are preparing to roll into their second season with preseason conditioning and drills. Another major change to the Saints organization is the unveiling of their new official website!

Please bookmark the following URL in your browsers:


www.newmarketsaintslacrosse.com


Go Saints Go!!!
Go Saints Go!!!
Go Saints Go!!!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

HALTON 3 - NEWMARKET 0

Bulldogs eliminate Saints from Playoffs

The Halton Hills Bulldogs move on to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs after sweeping the Newmarket Saints three games to zero. Do not let the score of the series fool you, two of these games were within one goal and the series winning goal was scored with five seconds remaining in game three. Newmarket even then did not give up and gave it one more valiant try that almost succeeded. The loss means the Saints are now finished for the year but what a great first year it was.

Newmarket finished the regular season with 14 wins and 6 losses good enough for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Saints played the Green Gaels, Halton Bulldogs, and Barrie Tornado very close all season and eventually found themselves just a few goals outside of the elite group of teams in the Eastern Conference. For a first year team the Saints have to be proud of what they accomplished this season. Nobody wanted a first round playoff loss, let alone a sweep, but the Saints battled hard, showed flashes of brilliant skill and with any luck turned a whole new crowd of people on to Lacrosse.

The Saints first season in Newmarket was a success and now the very long off season begins where players, families and volunteers go their separate ways, only to be reunited with dreams of a longer playoff run next season. Check back to newmarketsaints.com during the off season as news about team events and the League will be posted as they unfold.

Thank you to everyone who made sacrifices and made some noise for the Saints this season. Without every single contribution this season would not have been as memorable as it was.

Until next season, GO SAINTS GO

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

GAME 2 - HALTON AT NEWMARKET

Wednesday 8pm - Ray Twinney Complex, Newmarket

It is now time to forget about the loss in game one and get ready for game two at home. We will have to make some noise and help out our Saints as we witness the first Junior level Lacrosse game played in Newmarket since the 1950's. All year the Saints have been bringing us to our feet and it is now time rally around these guys.

Cheer towels will be available at the concession stand and with your help we can make a real playoff atmosphere at the Ray Twinney Complex. We have something to prove against Halton Hills and look forward to doing so on Home Floor.

Don't forget fans when I say GO SAINTS GO, yell it right back to me!

Monday, June 30, 2008

HALTON HILLS 11 - NEWMARKET 4

Halton Hills Leads the Best of Five Series 1 - 0

By Jake Dobson “Voice of the Saints”

The Halton Hills Bulldogs took game one of the best of five series with a 11 - 4 victory over the Newmarket Saints. For the second time this season the Bulldogs jumped out to a 4 - 0 lead on their home floor and in the end the lead was insurmountable. The combination of home fans and past playoff experience was the reason the Bulldogs were able to start so fast and once the Saints finally got things going it was too late. While the offense was strong it was the Bulldogs defense and goaltending that earn the credit for this victory. Mike Cregan was very strong in goal and the defense pitched in with four short handed goals in the victory.

The Saints lost their composure at times as they were guilty of six unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, including three to Shawn Beer which concluded with a game misconduct. His availability for game two is now in the hands of the officials as the Saints could now be without two of their leading goal scorers as Jacob Donato continues to rehab from an upper body injury suffered at the end of the regular season.

Halton Hills boasts the league’s leading regular season scorer but relied on balanced scoring to take the victory. Pat Saunders did contribute but if the Saints can hold him to three points a game all series it will be enough for victory. In a game that saw the Saints down by 8 goals at one point there are some positives going into game two Wednesday night in Newmarket.

In the third the teams were even as the Saints got rid of the jitters and played the same style of Lacrosse that saw them win 14 regular season games. Newmarket finally broke through the Halton Hills defense in this period and has been the better team in the third period for both games against Halton Hills this season. With some more discipline, hard work and commitment to strategy the Saints can still win this series. It will be a completely different story for Newmarket when they get their first crack at Halton Hills at home where the Saints went 7 - 3 during the regular season.

The playoff action moves to Newmarket on Wednesday night at the Ray Twinney Complex at 8pm. Come out and support your Saints as they try to even the series.

GO SAINTS GO

Saturday, June 28, 2008

ALL STAR GAME PHOTOS


We were well represented by Patty and Shawn who contributed on the score sheet to the East's 19 to 14 win over the West. Click on the picture for more photos from the 2008 Jr B All Star Game.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

SCHEDULE FINALIZED

The schedule for round one of the playoffs is now official.

Game 1 - Saturday, June 28 - 7:30 pm @ Halton Hills (Alcot)
Game 2 - Wednesday, July 2 - 8:00 pm @ Newmarket (RT1)
Game 3 - Saturday, July 5 - 7:30 pm @ Halton Hills (Alcot)
Game 4 - Sunday, July 6 @ - 7:00 pm Newmarket (RT1)
Game 5 - Tuesday, July 8 @ 8:00 pm Halton Hills (Alcot)

Please see post below for a map and directions to the game

DIRECTIONS TO GAME 1

Click the picture for enlarged map


Directions

401 West to Winston Churchill, North on Winston Churchill to Hwy 7(Guelph St.); West on Hwy 7 (Gueslph St.) to Alcott Dr; arena complex is on the right

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

PLAYOFF PREVIEW



VS.





Newmarket Saints Vs. Halton Hills Bulldogs -
Eastern Conference Playoffs Round One Preview


By Jake Dobson "Voice of the Saints"

The Newmarket Saints and Halton Hills Bulldogs are set to match up in the first round of the playoffs. Dates have not yet been released but its never too early to start breaking down the match up. The Bulldogs managed one more win in the regular season than the Saints did and will have home floor advantage in the best of five series. The teams met on May 3 with Halton Hills winning 9 - 7 at home, but both teams have changed so much since then that this game does not help determine an advantage. The teams look very close on paper and it will come down to the little things as this looks like it is going to be a battle. The Saints have the talent and intangibles to beat the Bulldogs and can advance if they are the harder working club.

Offense

The Bulldogs will rely on their offense as they did all season. Halton Hills scored 11.2 goals per game vs. Newmarket’s 9.4. Newmarket will rely on Patty Lee (99 pts), Shawn Beer (72pts) and Jacob Donato (30 goals) for their primary offense. Halton Hills relies on Pat Saunders (54 goals), Nic Grasby (74pts), and Kyle Davis (54pts) to provide most of their scoring. Both teams have very reliable secondary scorers and that is often the difference in a playoff series. Although Halton Hills averages one more goal per game than Newmarket this is not enough to determine a clear advantage going into this series.

Patty vs. Patty

This series is so close going in that both teams even have a star player named Patty who leads their team in scoring. Final regular season scoring totals are still being calculated but as it stands now Patty Saunders of Halton has 102 points and “Primetime” Patty Lee has 99. These two players are number one and two in Eastern Conference scoring and will be a focal part of both teams game plans. Saunders is a goal scorer as he scored 57 goals this year while Lee is a play maker recording a league leading 74 assists. Only three players in the East had more points than Lee had assists. Patty Lee has been the most productive player in the East in the second half of the season.

Defense

This is playoff Lacrosse and defense wins championships. Not surprisingly this is another category that looks virtually even going into this series. Newmarket allowed 134 goals this year while Halton allowed 137. The defensive match up looks too even to determine an advantage and it will come down to hard work. The guys on the defensive end of the floor do not get too much glory but playoff victories are why people sign up to play defense. The Saints have just the guys that can stand strong and work together to get the job done and were able to limit Pat Saunders in the second half of the only regular season match up.

Goaltending

This is the most important position on the floor and this series looks so close it will probably come down to the team that gets the best performance in net. At this time it is unclear who Newmarket will turn to or if they will even turn to just one guy. All year the keepers have split the playing time and the Saints have won with both guys. Adam Miles comes into the playoffs hotter than Jordan Rothery, but Rothery has played very well against the best teams in the League this year. Miles has a GAA of 5.52 while Rothery has an average of 7.72 goals allowed per game. Coach Wilfong might not let the boys know who plays in game one until just before the game to keep both guys focussed. For Halton Hills it will be Michael Cregan who played in 15 games this year, going 10 - 5 with a 7.01 GAA.

This series is going to be very interesting as both teams are so close to one another in virtually every category. The playoffs are all about desire and sacrifice and the Newmarket Saints have the ability to be a very good playoff team. All season the Saints have worked extremely hard in practice and have been committed to making the playoffs. Now that they are in the dance it is time to see what these guys are really made of.

Check back soon as game dates will be published as soon as possible.

GO SAINTS GO

NEWMARKET VS HALTON HILLS

The Newmarket Saints have finished fifth in the Eastern Conference and will play the fourth place Bulldogs in the first round of the playoffs. These teams finished just two points apart in the standings, the difference a 9 - 7 home floor win for Halton Hills on May 3. The Eastern Conference standings have been determined as Oakville defeated Barrie 8 - 3 to clinch the Regular Season Conference Championship. Oakville enters the playoffs as the number one seed on a nine game winning streak that includes victories over the Green Gaels and the Halton Hills Bulldogs with a first round match up against Awkwasasne and in all likely hood will enter the second round on a 12 game winning streak. The Green Gaels finished second place and will take on the seventh seeded Barrie Tornado in the first round. These bitter Mid East division rivals have played three times this season with Barrie winning twice including as recently as last weekend. The third seed Nepean will take on number six Mimico in a series that should see the lower seed advance.

1. Oakville (17 - 3)
2. Green Gaels (17 - 3)
3. Nepean (11 - 9)
4. Halton Hills (15 - 5)
5. Newmarket (14 - 6)
6. Mimico (14 - 6)
7. Barrie (13 - 6 -1)
8. Awkwasasne (9 - 11)

Saturday, June 21, 2008

NEWMARKET 6 - BARRIE 2






OR






By Jake Dobson "Voice of the Saints"

The Saints Complete Regular Season with 14th Win

The Saints have finished their first regular season in Newmarket and there will be post season play. Newmarket’s dominant 6 - 2 victory over Barrie on Saturday night was the perfect way to cap a very strong regular season. At the beginning of the season Saints GM Stew Beatty said, “we’re going to surprise some people, I think we’ll make the playoffs”, well Stew you were right. As of right now Newmarket is seeded fifth in the Eastern Conference and will face either Halton Hills or Nepean in round one, but more on the playoffs later.

In the first period the Saints jumped out to a quick 4 - 0 lead on goals from Shawn Beer (2), TJ Cook, and Logan Hurst. New Saint Mike “Machine Gun” Vertolli wanted to get on the game sheet but an illegal equipment penalty probably wasn’t what he had in mind. Nonetheless the former Markham captain is a key addition for depth and offense in the playoffs. Adam Miles could not be beaten in the first period as he was tremendous for the Saints. The difference in this period and this game was the goaltending as Miles was strong all night and the starting Barrie goalie was not up the task.

In the second the Saints scored two more times to take a 6 - 0 lead. TJ “Time Bomb” Cook completed his hat trick in the second period and the six goals were more than enough for a confident Adam Miles. The Saints D deserves a lot of the credit as they teamed up to put up a wall that Barrie could not penetrate and they were not caught in transition even once tonight. Nick Trach used his blazing speed to get a couple of breakaways but was not able to finish. Barrie managed one past Miles in the second period but Newmarket refocused and stopped the attack.

In the third there were only two dead balls in the entire period and Newmarket was more than happy to let the time run out. The first stoppage was the second Barrie goal and the second was Kyle O’Donnell filling Jordan Mitts first with his glove and then when the mask came off O’Donnell hit him with the bare knuks on the uppercuts.

This game changed the standings again but some teams still have games remaining. Starting at the top of the conference Oakville can still tie the Green Gaels with 34 points and hold the tie breaker so they can win the conference - these two teams will be the top two seeds. Nepean has clinched the 3 seed as a result of winning the Far East division and Halton Hills has clinched the 4 seed. Newmarket is currently 5, Mimico 6, and Barrie 7, but if Barrie wins its final game against Oakville they will jump to five and Newmarket will fall to six. The Saints hold the tie break over Mimico thanks to a 7 - 6 win earlier in the season. Awkwasasne has clinched the final playoff spot and has the task of playing the top seed.

All of this and there are still two possible playoff opponents for the Saints. A Barrie loss will mean the Saints finish in 5th and will play Halton Hills, a team that beat the Saints 9 - 7 very early in the season and boasts the top scorer in the OLA in Patty Saunders. A Barrie victory will move Newmarket to 6th and they will play Nepean a team they dropped 15 - 8 at the Complex on May 25. In either scenario the Saints will have to win despite giving up home floor advantage. Barrie and Oakville play on June 25 and the Saints opponent will be determined as soon as it is over.

What a great regular season! GO SAINTS GO




BARRIE VS NEWMARKET


VS.


The final regular season game for the Newmarket Saints takes place at 8pm tonight at the Magna Center. Newmarket and Barrie have split the season series thus far with both of those games coming in Barrie. Newmarket currently trails the Tornado by one point and really needs this win with the standings tightening up as all teams play divisional games to close the season.

Barrie is coming off a huge win over Huntsville and their second victory over the Green Gaels this season. Newmarket is coming off a close loss to the Gaels but before that were playing some of their best Lacrosse of the season. Both these teams have a lot to play for and its going to be a very exciting night of Lacrosse at the Magna Center.

GO SAINTS GO

Friday, June 20, 2008

GREEN GAELS 9 - NEWMARKET 6

Gaels Too Much on Home Floor

By Jake Dobson “Voice of the Saints”

For the third time this season the Green Gaels have defeated the Newmarket Saints with a 9 - 6 home floor victory. This loss is extremely disappointing for a Saints team that really wanted to beat the Gaels before the end of the regular season. The Gaels have been the best team in the Eastern Conference all season long and will be the early favourite in the playoffs. The loss kills any chance the Saints had at home floor advantage in round one of the playoffs but they can still finish in second place in the Mid East division ahead of Barrie. Barrie and Newmarket square off on Saturday night at 8pm at the MAGNA CENTRE not the Ray Twinney Complex. A Newmarket win combined with a Barrie loss in their final game against Oakville (14 - 3) and the Saints will finish in second in the Mid East.

The first period of this game made it look like we were in for a high scoring game. The Gaels scored 5 and the Saints responded with 4 in the opening period. Newmarket got goals from Jake Donato, Nick Trach, Ryan Besse and Logan Hurst in the period. Besse and Hurst’s goals came just 12 seconds apart and once again the Saints played an even period with the Gaels. Of the nine periods the teams have played seven of them have been even.

It was the second period that was the eventual downfall of the Saints who allowed three goals and could only get one themselves, coming off the stick of Ryan “Shooter” Besse. It was not as if the Saints did not have chances as the Gaels took 11 penalties in the second period. It did not help that the Saints leading scorer and captain Patty Lee missed five of these minutes in the box due to a fight.

The third period was very defensive as each team only managed one goal, but for the Gaels it was enough. TJ Cook was the scorer for Newmarket and Shawn Beer assisted for one of his three helpers in the game. The good news for the Saints is that they can play with the best teams in this league, the bad news is the Gaels have done just enough to beat them all three times. Newmarket will have to bring even more effort if they hope to advance in the playoffs. If the playoffs were to start today these would be the match ups.

(1) Green Gaels (32 pts 19 GP) vs (8) Awkwasasne (16pts 19 GP)
(2) Oakville (28 pts 17 GP) vs (7) Newmarket (26pts 19 GP)
(3) Nepean (18 pts 18 GP) vs (6) Barrie (27pts 18 GP)
(4) Mimico (28pts 18GP) vs. (5) Halton Hills (28pts 19GP)

With divisional games remaining for all teams the standings will change again before the end of the weekend. In any event the playoff teams are very close and it will be the little things that determine an Eastern Conference Champion.

Next Game Saturday night vs Barrie at 8pm at the MAGNA CENTRE on Mulock Drive.

GO SAINTS GO

Thursday, June 19, 2008

NEWMARKET VISITS CLARINGTON


VS.

The Newmarket Saints will travel to Clarington tonight to take on the Green Gaels. While the Saints can not catch the Gaels for first place in the Mid East Division they still need every point they can get out of the regular season. The Saints can still tie the Gaels in points but the Gaels hold the tie breaker with two victories over Newmarket already this season.

Do not be fooled by the 2 - 0 record Clarington holds over Newmarket this season, both games were close and the Saints are hungry. In the first game the two teams were very close until the Gaels literally ran away with the game in the third period. Newmarket adjusted to Clarington's fast break in game two and just barely were edged in the final minutes. Both of these games were in the friendly confines of the Ray Twinney Complex so the Saints will need to be even better if they hope to win tonight.

The Saints come into this game winning four of their last five games while Clarington has only one once in their past three. If the previous two meetings are any indication this will be very fast and physical Lacrosse. Saints owner Earl Rothery said after the second period of the last game, "That was the best period of Lacrosse I have ever seen".

Just two games left until the playoffs.

GO SAINTS GO

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

NEWMARKET 8 - MARKHAM 5 (OT)

By Jake Dobson "Voice of the Saints"

The Newmarket Saints needed overtime but eventually got the win tonight at the Ray Twinney Complex. The Saints were lethargic throughout regulation time and allowed a smaller, less skilled Markham team to take them to overtime. The Saints turned it on in overtime and would not allow Markham even one goal while scoring three themselves. Brock “The Lazer” Levick scored the game winning goal while Jake Donato and Shawn Beer scored in OT as well. Newmarket was lucky to win tonight as they were not the harder working team, something that will need to be remedied with only two games remaining in the regular season. While Newmarket has clinched a playoff berth, their ranking is far from decided. Newmarket will not get away with such a poor effort again as their remaining opponents are the first place Green Gaels and the second place Barrie Tornado.

The Saints did not start very fast but managed a 2 - 0 first period lead. Immediately it was obvious that Markham could not match Newmarket’s skill or toughness as the Saints knocked the Ironheads off of several balls and dictated the play when they felt like it. Markham kept hanging around on the back of their eventual player of the game goaltender Brayden Wilson. Both first period goals were scored by Shawn Beer and assisted by Patty Lee and Jake Donato.

In the second the Saints lack of energy really cost them as Markham scored three times to take the lead. The Saints were able to tie the game late in the period to go into the break tied at three. Newmarket Head Coach Todd Wilfong could be heard throughout the arena as he demanded more out of his offense. At this point it was obvious that the Saints players were not matching the intensity of their opponent and for the first time all season it looked like the Saints may lose to an inferior opponent.

In the third period the crowd heated up and fans from both teams were really into the game. The teams traded a pair of goals in the frame to finish regulation tied at 5. With about five minutes to go in regulation the Saints had finally had enough and put up a brick wall on defense. Markham did hit one post but Jordan Rothery and his defenders did an excellent job of shutting down the Ironheads when it counted the most.

In overtime the Saints lost the opening faceoff and Markham went to the attack first. Rothery came up huge and the Saints finally got settled in on offense. Patty Lee ran the show as he always does and set up Newmarket’s most important goals. Patty contributed with 6 assists in the game and now leads all of JR B Lacrosse in assists and is now second in overall scoring. The defense stood strong for ten more minutes and the victory was sealed. The Saints probably aren’t too proud of this one, but in the end they took the two points. Markham has only seven points but has played hard and will be a bigger factor in the Mid East standings next season.

The Saints hit the road Thursday night to take on the Green Gaels in Clarington. The Gaels are reeling from two weekend losses to Oakville and Barrie and Newmarket is going to want a huge piece of the team that just snuck out of the Complex with two points last week.

The final home game of the regular season in on Saturday night when Barrie comes to town.

GO SAINTS GO

Monday, June 16, 2008

SAINTS WEEKEND UPDATE

SAINTS 15 MISSISAUGA 6

The Newmarket Saints had another fantastic weekend. The Saints marched into Mississagua on Friday night and took it to the Tomahawks. This in combination with a tie for the Tornado and the Saints find themselves one point back of second place in the Mid East Division. The season series is currently tied but there is still one more game remaining between these teams and that is to be played June 21 in Newmarket. The Green Gaels looked very human this weekend losing to Oakville and Barrie (OT) and now have 30 points with just two games left. Just when it looked like the Gaels were going to run away with the Eastern Conference they come back down to Earth a little bit.

After the beat down in Mississauga Primetime and the Silver Bullet got on a bus and headed down to St. Catharines where they took part in the 2008 OLA Junior B All Star game. There should be no surprise to hear that the Saints offensive leaders tore up the game scoring a combined 9 points. Beersy notched one goal and four assists while Patty scored once and helped on three. These two guys have been leaders for the Saints all year and its great to see them shine on such a big stage.

The Saints are back in action tonight as they take on fourth place Markham. Newmarket has handled the Ironmen this year however Markham will have a lot of confidence after a tie with Barrie on the weekend. With just three regular season games remaining the Saints will have to beat Markham for the third time this season to have a chance at second place going into the playoffs. Only the top eight teams in the conference make the playoffs. If the playoffs were to start today the seeds would look like this:

1. Green Gaels (30 pts)
2. Oakville (28 pts)
3. Nepean (18 pts)
4. Mimico (28 pts)
5. Halton Hills (26 pts)
6. Barrie (25 pts)
7. Newmarket (24 pts)
8. Akwasasne (14pts)

The good news is that the Saints have qualified for the playoffs. These remaining games will be used to determine a first round opponent.

Join us at the Complex at 8pm and cheer on your Saints!

GO SAINTS GO

Thursday, June 12, 2008

HOWSON NAMED ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Chad Howson was named the athlete of the week by John Cudmore of the Era Banner. He recently accepted an athletic funding package from Mars Hill College in Mars Hill, North Carolina. In combination to his scholarship "Sticky" and the rest of his Saints teammates have been playing very well as of late. Click the picture for the full story. Way to go Chad!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

GREEN GAELS 10 - NEWMARKET 8

Newmarket loses tough contest late in the third

By Jake Dobson "Voice of the Saints"


The Newmarket Saints played in one of the most exciting games of the season on Tuesday night at the Ray Twinney Complex. Divisional rival Clarington came to town and barley slipped past the Saints earning a well deserved two points. Newmarket’s strong play in their last three contests has gotten the Lacrosse fans in Newmarket all fired up.

The last time these two teams met the Green Gaels relied on transition to provide all of their offense. They continuously beat the Saints off the bench and created many out numbered opportunities with hustle. Things looked to be the same on this night as the Gaels jumped out to a quick two goal lead in the first period on two short handed breakaways on the same kill. The Saints quickly adjusted and were not out hustled again for the rest of the first period. After a third goal for the Gaels the captain Patty Lee stepped up and fired a laser past the Gaels keeper to get his team back in the game with a score of 3 - 1 after the first period.

The second period was one of the most exciting periods of the season as both teams were running down the floor with tremendous speed. Newmarket won the period 3 - 2 on the back of Jordan Rothery, Jacob Donato, AJ Masson and Patty Lee. Jordan Rothery made several outstanding saves when it looked like he was down and out, the Gaels were clearly getting frustrated trying to beat the Saints keeper who had a lot to prove. Rothery was pulled from the net the last time these two teams met. Jake Donato and Patty Lee provided all of the offense coming up with loose balls and working through serious traffic in the offensive zone. AJ Masson must be one of the best penalty killers in the entire league as every time he gets the ball nobody can get it back from him. He very nearly tied the game at the end of the frame.

The third period picked up right where the second left off with both teams playing extremely exciting Lacrosse. The Saints were the better team in the first half of the period and took their first lead of the game at 8 - 7 on a goal by "Primetime" Patty Lee. Lee finished the game with four goals and three assists. The Gaels wasted no time responding less than 15 seconds later to tie the game and then scored twice in the final three minutes to pull away for good taking the win 10 - 8. The Gaels have a lot of experience winning big games and it really showed tonight.

In the end it was the first five minutes of the game and the last five minutes of the game that really cost the Saints. An early failure to recognize the fast break offense and then a lack of desire at the end of the game really cost the Saints. This loss means that the Saints can not finish in first place in the Mid East division at the end of the regular season, but it does send a very strong message across the league. The Saints are a very difficult team to beat and with their toughness they will have a chance to beat any team in the OLA including the Green Gaels in the playoffs. The Saints will have one more chance at redemption in Clarington when the face the Gaels for the third and final time of the regular season on June 19.

Newmarket’s next game is on Friday June 13 in Mississauga at 8:00pm and their next home game is against Markham on Tuesday June 17 against Markham. Newmarket has not played Mississauga yet this season and has defeated Markham on two separate occasions.

A tough loss for the Saints tonight, but they are playing outstanding Lacrosse as the regular season winds down.

GO SAINTS GO

Monday, June 9, 2008

NEWMARKET 11 - BARRIE 6

Saints Pull Away in Third to Defeat Tornado

By Jake Dobson “Voice of the Saints”

The Newmarket Saints returned to Barrie to play their second game in the Holly Recreation Centre in less than a week. Barrie managed a well disciplined win in the first contest but this time it was Newmarket that showed the discipline and left town with the victory. In a game where they only took two penalties the Saints erupted in the third period. A 6 - 6 tie after forty minutes turned into an 11 - 6 Newmarket win after three periods. The Saints went into this weekend knowing they would have to win two games to move into second place and they came up with two huge victories. The Saints will now have a crack at the first place Green Gaels at home on Tuesday night riding a two game winning streak.

It was in the first period that the Saints took their only penalties. They also scored four times to lead Barrie 4 - 3 after the first period. Jacob Donato, Logan Hurst, Patty Lee and Shawn Beer scored first period goals. In the second Barrie managed to slow down Newmarket and hold them to only two goals. Ryan O’Sullivan and Bo Webster scored in the second for the Saints. Barrie is at their best is tight checking defensive games. They have defeated Newmarket and Clarington this year scoring only five goals per game.

In the third period the Saints broke free. AJ Masson, Brock Levick (2), TJ Cook, and Donato all buried for the Saints. The captain “Primetime” Patty Lee assisted on every Saints goal in the period and finished the game with seven points to bring his two-game weekend total to 17. Newmarket and Barrie play one more time on June 21 in Newmarket. It is the Saints final regular season game and a possible first round playoff preview.

The Saints finally return home to the Ray Twinney Complex on Tuesday night against the Green Gaels. The Saints have not played a home game since falling to the Gaels back on May 27. The Saints will have a lot more confidence this time knowing they were even with the Gaels through forty minutes the last time and after beating Barrie with their best effort of the season. It will be extremely exciting and the doors open at 7pm.

The Saints return to second place after a perfect weekend, GO SAINTS GO.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

NEWMARKET 17 - HUNTSVILLE 3

The Saints explode to defeat Hawks

By Jake Dobson “Voice of the Saints”

The Saints start their weekend with a huge win in Huntsville on Saturday night. Patty Lee recorded 10 points, Jacob Donato had eight, Ryan Besse scored three goals and so did TJ Cook. The Saints had to win both of their games this weekend and this was the perfect start. Newmarket completed the season sweep of Huntsville with their third victory but this one was different than their previous two wins which were by only one goal. This time the Saints took a 6 - 0 first period lead and continued to dominate the rest of the game.

Just :48 seconds into the game Ryan O’Sullivan scored to notify everyone the Saints were bringing it on this night. Logan Hurst, AJ Masson, TJ Cook, Logan Artindale and Ryan Besse all scored before the period was out. Logan Artindale’s marker moves him one closer to his pre season goal of scoring five times this season.

In the second it was Huntsville that scored first but after that it was very much like the first. Six Saints goals lead to a 12 - 2 lead at the end of the period. It was Jacob Donato (2), Shawn Beer, Patty Lee and Kirk Nodello doing the damage for the Saints. Jordan Rothery kept busy by assisting on Nodello’s marker.

In the third the Saints had to settle for only five third period goals as they firmly beat the Hawks. Besse, Cook (2), Lee and Beer all scored in the period. This victory was the first step in this pivotal Mid East division weekend for the Saints.

The second game is taking place today in Barrie and the Saints will have a tougher time against the Tornado. Barrie just beat the Saints on Tuesday night and they have also defeated the Green Gaels, the only team in two years to do that in the regular season. It was a very close game last time and these Saints seem to have a different attitude all of a sudden. Newmarket and Barrie are potential first round playoff opponents and the Saints need victories over the Tornado for confidence and home floor advantage.

This victory moves the Saints to 10 - 4 trailing Barrie 10 - 3 and Green Gaels 13 - 1 in the Mid East Division. A win over Barrie and the Saints would be exactly tied for second place with just five games remaining in the regular season.

Game starts at 2pm, GO SAINTS GO.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

BARRIE 5 - NEWMARKET 4

The Newmarket Saints lost a very close, very disciplined game to the Barrie Tornado on Wednesday night in Barrie. Newmarket only managed one third period goal and it was not enough to over take Barrie. The loss moves the Saints down to third place in the Mid East Division.

The lack of penalties helps to explain the lack of scoring. Barrie only took three penalties all game and Newmarket only four. Barrie's first penalty resulted in a Newmarket powerplay goal by TJ "Time Bomb" Cook. While the offense was shut down, the defense was once again strong despite not having Kirk Nodello in the line up. Robert Lee was inserted as he continues to be a true team player, someone who places the team ahead of himself.

After a very hot first half of the season the Saints find themselves on a mini losing streak which has pushed them to third in their division. Things will not get any easier for the Saints this weekend with two divisional road games to play. The first is on Saturday night in Huntsville against a team that has played the Saints very close the last two occasions. The second game of the weekend is a rematch with the Tornado again in Barrie. The Saints must win both of these games to remain a factor in a division where one loss is very tough to over come.

AJ Masson, Brock Levick and Logan Hurst all scored in this game for Newmarket. The Saints leading scorer Patty Lee contributed with three assists in the loss.

Primetime currently sits third in the OLA scoring race.

The Saints do not return to the Complex until Tuesday June 10 at 8pm vs. the Green Gaels.

GO SAINTS GO