“The season began in what
seems like yesterday” said Valencia Flyers assistant captain Anthony Kendryna.
“I remember having the team carwash in 100 degree heat and loving every minute
of it.”
Kendryna, a Saugus High
School graduate, has loved every minute of this
season as well. It showed in his consistent work ethic this past weekend in Phoenix.
“Kendryna’s line with Thomas
Regan and Kevin Keomanee played solid two-way hockey all weekend.” said Ryan Marvin, Valencia
Flyers head coach. “We will look to them
to contribute in our playoff run.”
Keomanee has finally reached
game shape after returning from Portland,
Maine, where he attended school for
the first half of the season. “It’s good to see Keomanee’s timing come back” Marvin
said. “I knew he would be a huge asset
to our team, I just didn’t know when.”
His contributions couldn’t
have come at a more pivotal time. Keomanee has scored 8 points in 8 games since
joining the Flyers late in the season and will look to add to that number this
weekend in the team’s first round playoff match up against the San Diego Surf.
The Surf has won the last
seven games against Valencia
in nail biting fashion. “We have had some tough games with San Diego this season. Three of which have
gone into overtime,” Marvin said. “San Diego is a veteran
team that likes to hang around, their leading scorers are two 20-year-olds who
have a lot of confidence.” The flyers will look to their own Brian Voogt to
step up and shut down the Surf’s leading scorer Michael Zenzola.
“Voogt has been a consistent
offensive threat for us this season,” Marvin said. “He gets the crowd on the edge of their seat
with his deceptive speed and highlight reel plays.”
Voogt leads the team in
scoring with 48 goals 24 assists for 72points. A big part of his success is
contributed to the smarts and grit of line mates Andy Jakiel and Andy Monesi.
Jakiel played with Voogt last season and Monesi and Voogt have been friends for
quite some time. Coach Marvin said that
these guys have great chemistry on the ice and complement each other very well.
Chemistry has never been a
problem for the Flyers’ gold line of Erik Norton, Brent McGiIl and Christian
Starr. After the New Year this line became the team’s most passionate line. At
the moment, Norton is trying to overcome a case of poison oak and a dislocated
finger, McGill is battling the flu and anxious to get the stitches out after a fight in last Friday
night’s game in Phoenix
and finally Starr is recovering from sprained wrist.
Despite being a bit banged
up and under the weather the Flyers will look to this gold line for inspiration
down the stretch. “I have no doubt that
these guys will give me everything they have, they always do. They would play
with one arm if they had to,” Marvin said.
Marvin considers the Flyers
red line of Jon Asher, Joe Reddick and Kyle Freeman, the most inspiring line
after their performance the last few weeks of the season. “They have been such
an important part of our team.” Their work ethic has not gone unnoticed by the
team and the coach, by producing in all facets of the game, including both Power
play and Penalty kill.
“Asher is developing into a
solid two-way power forward, Reddick has one of the heaviest shots in the
league and Freeman has the heart of a lion but is built like an ox,” Marvin
said.
Defensively the Flyers will
look toward their veteran leaders of Captain Kevin Lapp, Kyle Curry and Corey
Dinwiddie. “Lapp has been a horse for us
all year” Marvin said. “Lapp and Monesi are the only two Flyers to play in all
51 regular season games.”
After returning home from
the North Pacific League in late September, Curry has been a blessing in
disguise for the Flyers. “Kyle has been our biggest and toughest defenseman all
year,” Marvin said.
Flyers defensemen Danny Chao,
Corey Dinwiddie, Kyle Hall and Casey Crumlish have stepped up their game since
the New Year.
“Danny is a physical
specimen, he his cut from head to toe and has an unlimited amount of athletic
ability,” Marvin said.
“I feel we have a very solid
group of defenseman, Hall is gritty and consistent and Crumlish, a converted
forward, has an unbelievable amount of potential and ability,” Marvin said.
The youngsters of the team
just happen to be the goaltending duo of Taylor Nelson, a 17-year-old from Riverside, and Jackson Winkler, a 16-year-old from Saugus.
“Both goalies have been
great” said Marvin, “they are both really young kids, but they are both very
mature and love the game.”
The two young goalies have
been able to split time all season long.
Marvin has been waiting to see if one of the goalies would step up and
take the number one position, but both have proved successful this season.
Both goalies have individual
goalie coaches and spend hours mastering their respective styles. “Taylor is a fantastic
butterfly goalie, he plays the style to a “T”, and he has to at only 5’8” 140
pounds,” Marvin said.
Jackson plays a hybrid style of goaltending and he has
learned to perfect this style at a young age. Marvin often teases him about his
size saying “That kid has the biggest mitts I have ever seen. He is going to be a beast!”
The Flyers have set their
expectations high in their first season of Junior A hockey. “We are striving for perfection, which I know
can be hard for most of our players,” Marvin said. “But I know that anything is possible, and we
have the heart to make our dreams come true.”
From top to bottom the
Flyers have proven that they have the ability to make a run at the WSHL
championship and they are excited to begin their quest this weekend in San Diego.