NJDD's own Pam Saunders, Matty's mom is running a winter clothing drive at her place of employment, Court Appointed Special Advocates(CASA). As in the past, the Dare Devils family participated in various forms of fundraising around the holiday season. I can't think of a better opportunity for our team to come together and donate an article of winter clothing(Coats, Hats, Scarfs) to this great organization. You can drop off your donation up until our holiday party practice on 12/12. Alternatively, you can also drop off any donations at my house (51 Divan Way, Wayne). More info about this wonderful organization can be found by following this link.
*10/31/26 (Sat) - 9am to 10:30am - Practice - Codey Arena
*11/3/26 (Tues) - 7:30pm - Group Night to see the Devils take on the Oilers - Prudential Center, Newark - Request/purchase tickets via this link. Please note the NHL pushed the game time from 7 to 7:30 to accommodate the game being nationally broadcast
*11/7/26 to 11/8/26 (Sat & Sun) - Buffalo Tournament - LECOM Harborcenter - Buffalo, NY - Details to follow
*11/7/26 (Sat) - 9am to 10:30am - Practice - Codey Arena
*11/14/26 (Sat) - 9am to 10:30am - Practice - Codey Arena
*11/28/26 (Sat) - No Practice - Happy Thanksgiving
*11/29/26 (Sun) - 9:30am - 12:30pm - Central Park North Stars Thanksgiving Weekend Clinic - Gottesman Rink at the Davis Center in Central Park, NYC - Details to follow
*11/21/26 (Sat) - 9am to 10:30am - Practice - Codey Arena
*12/5/26 (Sat) - *NO PRACTICE*
*12/12/26 (Sat) - 9am to 10:30am - Practice - Codey Arena - Holiday Party Immediately Following Practice - Details to follow
*1/2/27 (Sat) - 9am to 10:30am - Practice - Codey Arena
*1/3/27 (Sun) - 8:30am to 11:30am - Central Park North Stars Mini Tournament - Gottesman Rink at the Davis Center in Central Park, NYC - Details to follow
*1/9/27 (Sat) - 9am to 10:30am - Practice - Codey Arena
*1/10/27 (Sun) - 10am - Game @ Philadelphia Freeze - Tarken Ice Rink
*1/16/27 (Sat) - 9am to 10:30am - Practice - Codey Arena
*1/23/27 (Sat) - No Practice
*1/29/27 to 1/31/27 (Fri to Sun) - Ocean City Special Hockey Beach Bash - Carousel Resort, Ocean City Maryland - Details to follow
*1/30/27 (Sat) - 9am to 10:30am - Practice - Codey Arena; Birthday Party for Captain Ryan Griffin Immediately After Practice in a Party Room
*2/5/27 to 2/7/27 (Fri to Sun) - 2027 USA Hockey - Special Classic - Panthers Ice Den in Coral Springs, Fla. - Tournament Website - Details to follow
*2/6/27 (Sat) - 9am to 10:30am - Practice - Codey Arena
*2/12/27 to 2/14/27 (Fri to Sun) - Broome INCLUDES Special Hockey Classic (Binghamton Tournament) - The Farm Rink - Knight Road - Vestal, NY - Details to follow
*2/13/27 (Sat) - 9am to 10:30am - Practice - Codey Arena
*2/20/27 (Sat) - 9am to 10:30am - Practice - Codey Arena - Tentative Last Practice of the Season
*3/18/27 to 3/20/27 (Thurs to Sat) - 2027 Special Hockey International Tournament - Kitchner, Ontario, Canada - Details to follow
*3/20/27 to 3/21/27 (Sat & Sun) - Rochester Friendship Festival - Tim Hortons IcePlex - Details to follow
Tonight had everyone on pins and needles. Would the team in blue pull through, or would the squad in red be victorious? The prediction markets favored the blue squad, but could they really win in a building that hasn’t historically been friendly to them? No, we’re not talking about the midterms. We’re talking about a matchup between two of the hottest teams in the NHL.
The New Jersey Devils hosted the Dare Devils at the Prudential Center this evening for our annual Group Night event. We watched our hometown Devils take on Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard and the rest of the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers. The Dare Devils had 115 players, coaches, family members and friends in attendance, and the pros didn’t disappoint. After stirring renditions of both the Canadian and American national anthems, the Oilers ended the 1st period with a 1-0 lead.
The end of the 1st period is where the action picked up for the Dare Devils. Several members of our team were selected to play in a 3-minute game during the 1st intermission, on the same sheet of ice the NHLers skate on, under the bright lights, with their every move captured on the big screen over center ice. James Cooney, Ayden Duran, Taylor Esposito, CJ Notare, Shea Passikoff and Liam Smith represented the Red Dare Devils squad, while TJ Howard, Kieran O’Malley, Mark Papadopoulos, Kieran Reid, Micayla Shields and PJ Visicaro donned their white jerseys. Coaches Bernard, Brendon and Eric accompanied the teams on the ice and helped keep the players on track.
There was a lot of action, but this was ultimately a goalie battle. Rookie superstar goaltender Mark Papadopoulos was given the enviable task of backstopping the far net, and the action started before he was able to make his way to it. While the net was still empty, Shea Passikoff swiped the puck from the white squad and made his way to the unoccupied net, where he easily buried a goal.
After both goalies were settled, the white squad had several chances to put home goals. Kieran O’Malley and TJ Howard had a two-on-none rush down the left side of the ice. Howard took a pass from O’Malley and put a beautiful deke on Taylor Esposito, but Esposito made a sprawling pad save. The white team continued to pepper Esposito with shots, but Taylor was up for the challenge and made saves on shots from O’Malley, Micayla Shields, PJ Visicaro and Kieran Reid.
Not to be outdone, Papadopoulos made several saves of his own. In the final 15 seconds of the game, Ayden Duran made a tape-to-tape pass to spring Shea Passikoff on a breakaway, and Passikoff was able to sneak one past a sprawling Papadopoulos. CJ Notare barely missed a goal in front of the net, and James Cooney and Liam Smith both played strong all-around games.
At the end of the game, both goaltenders were named co-MVPs, and they flipped a coin to see who would be interviewed in front of all of the fans on the big screen. Taylor Esposito ultimately took the interview, after a quick detour to say hi to Kevin Weekes, who was stationed between the benches for the ESPN telecast. Taylor was a great representative for Special Hockey, and he discussed his favorite players and his autographed puck collection. Great job, Dare Devils! You showed the New Jersey crowd what talented hockey players you are.
After the intermission, the players made their way to their seats and the NHL action picked up. The Devils scored three unanswered goals, but the Oilers tied the score and sent the game to overtime. The game then went to a shootout, and behind the heroics of Jack Hughes, the Devils came out victorious, capping a perfect night for all of the Dare Devils in attendance.
A special thank you goes out to NHL legend Marty Brodeur for visiting the Dare Devils players in the locker room prior to our game, and to our Devils representative, Pete Rubinstein, and everyone else with the Devils who once again showed us excellent hospitality. Thank you, Marty, thank you, Pete, and thank you, Devils!
This year Halloween fell on the weekend. Hopefully all of the Dare Devils get to go trick or treating! Despite the beautiful weather and commitments later today with parties and candy collecting, the Dare Devils players and coaches came out in full force for practice this morning. As usual, Captain Ryan Griffin (Updated Captain’s Corner post can be found here)set the mood by greeting all of the players and coaches with a green Halloween-themed goalie mask in the locker rooms.
Thanks to the great showing by the Junior and Senior coaches, the learn-to-skate players once again received committed one-on-one attention, and they continue to show great improvement in their hockey skills.
After learn-to-skate, the senior players took the ice and got right to work. Coach Myles and Coach Eric led the power skating, and all of the players put in a maximum effort, probably to preemptively work off all of the candy they will be eating later today. After power skating, the ice was split into two zones. Coach Myles led a cycling, passing and shooting drill, and Coach Eric had the team working on hockey stops, edge work, passing and shooting. The players worked extremely hard, but they still had a great time.
Superstar Jimmy McTernan greeted his teammates with a “Happy Hockey-Ween” cheer, and wily veteran Reese Citro chirped Coach Brendon by referring to him as the Coors Light Silver Bullet (you’ll understand if you look at the picture above). To reward the team for all of their efforts, and to help celebrate Halloween, management treated the players and coaches to donuts after practice. Hard work pays off!
We also have a special announcement to share. After much deliberation, the coaching staff decided that longtime Captain Ryan Griffin could use an assistant, and original team member Will Trampota was the logical choice. Will is officially the Dare Devils’ new Assistant Captain! Will has been a senior leader on the team for years, always working with the younger players and offering encouragement to his teammates. Congrats, Will! This is a well-deserved recognition, and we are extremely proud of you!
Great work today, Dare Devils, and stay safe as you hit the streets for Halloween!
What a difference a year (and four months) makes! After a 100-degree scorcher in June 2025 and a weather postponement in June 2026, the Dare Devils extended family was blessed with a perfect autumn day on Monday, October 26, 2026 at the Knoll Country Club in Boonton, NJ for the 15th Annual Bruce Giger Memorial Golf Tournament.
Almost 200 golfers teed off under clear skies, with a crisp start that warmed to 70 degrees and Northern NJ foliage as the backdrop. The event was a rousing success and will help the team have a strong 2026-2027 season and beyond.
Thank you to our sponsors, volunteers, golfers, and dinner attendees, and a special thank you to Andy Piccirillo, Andrea Piccirillo and Joe Notare for running such a first-rate event. We'd also like to acknowledge the contributions Bruce Giger made to our program and for inspiring this wonderful event.
Congratulations to veteran superstar Samantha Ciemiecki, this year’s recipient of the Jeffrey Hoens Memorial Scholarship! Samantha is the consummate teammate, always smiling and encouraging others, and one of the Dare Devils’ senior leaders. Tom Hoens, armed with some reconnaissance from Sam’s proud father, Art, gave a heartfelt speech that captured Sam’s essence and spoke to how meaningful coaching the Dare Devils was to his son, Jeffrey. It was heartwarming to see Sam's dedication recognized with this prestigious award.
Thank you as well to Tom Hoens and the entire Hoens Family for their continued generosity and support of the Dare Devils.
Our fearless captain, Ryan Griffin, once again stepped up and volunteered the entire day. His efforts were rewarded with several raffle prizes, including a share of the 50/50. El Capitan also documented the day’s events, along with our last practice, on his Captain's Corner blog..
Frank and crew once again graciously offered their photography services. The galleries (when they are published) can be found in the links below.
After a one-week reprieve from an early morning practice, the Dare Devils were back at their normal 9am time slot this morning. The early wake-up call didn’t seem to affect the players, who all had an extra jump in their skating legs today.
Unfortunately, Head Coach Myles and lead Assistant Coach Steve Toledo had a scheduling conflict due to their other coaching responsibilities. Management was concerned that a short-handed staff would be in trouble without Coach Myles, but the junior coaches came out in droves (shoutout coaches Carmine, Alex, Sarp and Asher) and senior Coaches Eric Zlotnick, Joe Keenan, Doug Katz and Ray Law stepped up, as usual.
Practice started with a learn-to-skate session, and our newer players continue to show significant progression in their skating and hockey skills. Thanks to such great coaching representation, every skater got individualized instruction. Victoria Garay, Ethan Basta, Bodhi Pilavakis, Jordan Rosen, Shepherd Slootmaker, Daniel Weissman, Nirav Wagle and Grant Wnek were all flying around the ice and rifling shots at our goalies.
Speaking of goalies, we’re developing an embarrassment of riches between the pipes. Three netminders laced up today: veteran superstar Matty Brighton, rising rookie Mark Papadopoulos and newcomer Elliott Silverman. All three put on an impressive showing blocking shots.
After learn-to-skate, Coach Eric took the reins as ad interim head coach and led the players through a gauntlet of new drills, thanks to his dusty old notebook. He started with power-skating and added some new components to the typical edge work. For instance, he added a hop at the end of the swizzles. The players were up for the challenge and all put in excellent skating displays.
Next, Coach Eric studied his notebook, split the ice into three zones and gave the assistant coaches explicit instructions for each drill. These were all new, multi-step drills, so he made sure the right coaches were at each station. Captain Ryan Griffin also did a great job demonstrating each drill and showing the players how to complete them properly. The stations covered passing, edge work, breakouts and shooting.
All across Northern New Jersey, Dare Devil alarm clocks started going off around 5:30am. As players, coaches and parents started wiping the sleep from their eyes, they realized they were waking up to the coldest morning of the season. The temperature was in the 30s, but the Dare Devils knew they needed to get moving to drive down the Parkway for the 7:50am puck drop at Howell Ice Arena, to take on our intrastate rivals, the Brick Stars. As the sun was coming up, the Dare Devils started making their way into the arena, only to realize that the outside temps seemed balmy compared to the freezing temperatures in the rink. If the coffee and drive didn’t wake the Dare Devils up, the freezing temperatures in the rink certainly did.
The Dare Devils traveled without a goalie this morning, so Brick was nice enough to lend us one of their superstar goalies. While the Brick team is a well-coached, cohesive unit, the acquisition of their goaltender was enough to allow the Dare Devils to get their bearings. It took a few shifts, but the Dare Devils went ahead by two goals after Jimmy McTernan and Shea Passikoff both found the back of the net in the 1st period. Brick was relentless, with strong skating and puck movement, and tied the game at two before the period was over.
The Dare Devils didn’t get deflated, though, and retook the lead when Shea Passikoff buried another goal, off assists from Connor Hung and Aaron Quintana. The teams traded goals as the game progressed, with James Cooney, Jimmy McTernan, Connor Hung, Aaron Quintana and Patrick Hung all putting away goals for the Dare Devils. Brick didn’t go away quietly. They kept the pressure on and slowly but surely chipped away at the lead, ultimately tying the game before the end of regulation.
With no time for an extra period, the game went straight to a shootout. Rather than going with veteran players, Coach John had a hunch that some of our newer skaters hadn’t been scouted by the Brick netminder. To the delight of the coaching staff, Kieran Reid, PJ Visicaro, Tony He and Charlie Gao all buried their penalty shots and willed the Dare Devils to a hard-fought victory.
In addition to the offensive heroics, Connor Hung, Patrick Hung, Jimmy McTernan and Sean Glassett all played strong defensive games for the Dare Devils.
The Dare Devils making the regulation box score are as follows: Patrick Hung (2 goals, 1 assist); Jimmy McTernan (2 goals); Shea Passikoff (2 goals); Connor Hung (1 goal, 1 assist); Aaron Quintana (1 goal, 1 assist); James Cooney (1 goal); Tony He (2 assists); PJ Visicaro (1 assist); Sean Glassett (1 assist); and Liam Smith (1 assist).
A special thank you goes out to Coach Alex and the Brick Stars for hosting us today. We greatly appreciate the sportsmanship and hospitality you displayed by keeping this an evenly matched game despite the fact we were playing without a goaltender . We also thank you for treating us to bagels, donuts, drinks and coffee after the game. We can't wait to play you again in December!
After an action-packed Frankenfest weekend, the hockey gods did the Dare Devils a solid with a scheduling conflict at the rink. The result? Practice didn’t start until 10:30am, and the team got to sleep in. All that extra shut-eye seemed to do the trick.
As usual, we kicked things off with learn-to-skate, and our new players keep progressing. Ethan Basta, Sam O’Keefe, Bodhi Pilavakis, Nirav Wagle, Grant Wnek and superstar goalie Mark Papadopoulos all put in solid work and are shaping up to be key members of the team. Big shout-out to Junior Coach Asher and the rest of the junior coaches for working so closely with our new skaters.
Once learn-to-skate wrapped, the advanced players hit the ice, led by Captain Ryan Griffin (updated Captain's Corner post can be found by clicking this link). Coach Myles led power-skating drills, then we split the ice into three zones. Coach Myles ran an edge-work drill, Coach Joe worked on passing and skating, and Coach Ray had the players hone their breakout and shooting skills.
We hope everyone enjoyed sleeping in, because the good rest won’t last. The team travels to Brick tomorrow for a 7:50am game. Get to bed early, Dare Devils!
Another Frankenfest is in the books. Today marked the second and final day of the tournament. As much as the players, coaches, managers and parents would have loved to sleep in on this rainy Sunday, our hosting duties prevailed and we were all on call for a full ledger of games today. It's quite the endeavor to coordinate a weekend of hockey for 19 teams. A special thank you goes out to the coaches, volunteers, referees, scorekeepers, players and and parents for making this weekend another rousing success.
A heartfelt thank you also goes out to Frank and his photography crew Frank's full gallery can be found here. We are so fortunate to have you volunteer your services to document our kids and provide us with the memories of all of these great days of hockey. Lastly, we would also like to acknowledge the efforts of Bernard, Andy, Coach Myles, Coach T, Coach Eric Zlotnick, Coach Joe Keenan, our guest referees, all other coaches and our parent volunteers for putting so much time in to ensure the weekend went as smoothly as possible.
Below is a summary of today's Dare Devils games:
9:45 Game: Dare Devils Red B vs. Buffalo Sabres Thunder
The Dare Devils Red squad kicked off Sunday's game with a matchup against the powerhouse Buffalo Sabres Thunder. The Thunder travel strong and came to New Jersey with all of their best players. Despite the strong opponent, the Dare Devils also came ready to play and battled the Thunder throughout the game. After an opening goal from Owen Silverstein (assisted by Shea Passikoff), the teams traded goals the rest of the way and the score was tied at 4 with three minutes left. At this point, the Thunder turned up the dial and scored a couple of late goals to escape with the victory. The Dare Devils on the scoresheet were: Shea Passikoff (1 goal; 2 assists); Connor Hung (2 assists); Owen Silverstein (1 goal); Liam Smith (1 goal); Aaron Quintana (1 goal); PJ Visicaro (1 assist); and Jake Simon (1 assist and stellar defense).
12:15 Game: Dare Devils White C vs. Philadelphia Freeze
The Dare Devils White started their day by taking on our good friends from Northeast Philadelphia. The Freeze traveled with a strong team and the Dare Devils had a bit of trouble keeping up with the pace of the game. However, the Dare Devils still kept the game close, thanks to another outstanding game by rookie goalie Mark Papadopoulos. Mark made numerous point blank stops and is rounding into another steadying presence between the pipes for the Dare Devils. The skaters all put in a valiant effort to make the coaching staff proud. The Dare Devils on the scoresheet were: Jordan Rosen (2 goals); Sean Glassett (1 goal); Alfonzo Mosca (1 goal); Darren Chuang (1 goal - his 1st as a Dare Devil); Ryan Scorsune (1 goal and a salute to his fan club in the stands); Tony He (1 goal); Kieran Reid (1 goal - his 1st as a Dare Devil); and Kevin Plunkett (1 assist and strong defense).
2:00 Game: Dare Devils Black A vs. Philadelphia Flyers Youth
The A team played their only matchup of the day against a strong Philadelphia Flyers Youth team. The players heeded the advice of the coaching staff and made the extra effort to pass the puck and ensure all of their teammates were involved as plays progressed. Backstopped by another strong goaltending performance by veteran all star Matty Brighton, the Dare Devils were able to squeak out a victory thanks to the goals scored at the end of several tic tac passing plays. The Dare Devils on the scoresheet were as follows: Patrick Law (2 goals); Jimmy McTernan (2 goals); Captain Ryan Griffin (1 goal; 1 assist); Will Milazzo (2 assists); Kieran O'Malley (1 goal; 1 assist); Reese Citro (1 goal); Connor Hung (1 assist); Patrick Hung (1 assist); Nick Ritter (1 assist); Andrew Piccirillo (1 assist). We'd also like to highlight the contributions of Kieran O'Malley and Connor Hung, who both stepped up to skate with the A team this weekend. Both players were up to the challenge and showed that they could keep up with this level of competition. Great job, boys!
2:45 Game: Dare Devils White C vs. Woodbridge Warriors
Once again paced by strong goaltending from Mark Papadopoulos, the Dare Devils C team played their second game of the afternoon against our talented rivals from Woodbridge. The Warriors are a cohesive unit who have been playing together for years and as a result, the Dare Devils couldn't keep up, and ultimately lost the game. However, several Dare Devils left their mark on the game. Grant Wnek continued to impress the coaching staff with his sound defense. He broke up several scoring chances and was in on the action the entire afternoon. Additionally, rookie Nirav Wagle came ready to play and put on a skating clinic during his time on the ice. The Dare Devils on the scoresheet were: Jordan Rosen (2 goals, 1 assist); Tony He (1 goal, 1 assist); Henry Barrios (1 goal); and Joel Gooblar (1 assist).
4:45 Game: Dare Devils White Black Red vs. Venom Hockey
Following tradition, a mixed Dare Devils team took on the beer league Venom Hockey team to conclude the tournament. The Dare Devils had the advantage in roster size, while the Venom squad has many years of hockey experience under their belts. It was a chippy battle, with chirps going back and forth between Nick Ritter, Reese Citro, Coach Myles and Coach Eric.
As expected, the Venom came out strong but many of their players are old and out of shape so the Dare Devils were able to fight their way back into the game, backed by unbelievable goaltending from Matty Brighton. After finding themselves in the hole by a couple of goals from the Venom (both assisted by Coach T), the Dare Devils were able to get on the scoreboard after Jimmy McTernan finished a breakaway off a beautiful pass from Patrick Hung. Later in the game, Patrick Hung put on a scoring display by deking through several Venom defenders, fighting off a hook from Coach Myles and burying a goal into the back of the net.
Not to be outdone, Coach Bernard also put in a spirited effort for the Venom. You would never know Coach Bernard didn't play hockey growing up after watching several deft passes that resulted in two assists over the course of the game for the Venom. In fact, Coach Bernard's final assist came in the final seconds of the game, with the Venom down by a goal, when he was stationed in the corner and ripped a pass to Coach T behind the net. Coach T then placed a perfect pass to one of his old teammates who buried a game tying goal as the final horn blared.
The Dare Devils on the scoresheet were Captain Ryan Griffin (2 goals, 2 assists); Jimmy McTernan (2 goals, 2 assists); Patrick Hung (1 goal, 1 assist); Patrick Law (1 goal, 1 assist); Reese Citro (1 goal, 1 assist); Danny Giger (1 goal, 1 assist); James Cooney (1 goal); Sean Glassett (1 goal); Kieran O'Malley (1 assist); Kyle Rivers (1 assist); Tony He (1 assist); Connor Hung (1 assist); and Kieran Reid (1 assist).
The star of the game for the Venom was Coach Eric (3 goals, 1 assist); also making the scoresheet were Coach Myles (2 goals, 1 assist); Coach T (1 goal, 2 assists) and Coach Bernard (2 assists).
What a start to the 2026-2027 special hockey circuit. The NJ Dare Devils, celebrating their 25th season as an organization, hosted their annual Frankenfest Tournament, with 16 visiting teams and three Dare Devils teams embarking on another Northeast special hockey round robin tournament to commence the ASHA season. There was an action packed slate of games, a tricky tray, a well-stocked hospitality room, generous swag bags (including t-shirts and pucks designed by star player/artist extraordinaire, Jonah Barnes, #91) for all of the players and an unbelievable party at the Turtle Back Zoo.
The party at the zoo included good food, tasty drinks, costumes, trick or treating, a DJ, dancing, zoo animals, rides and much, much more. In addition, we were able to celebrate a milestone birthday for our treasured coach and equipment manager, Terence Hung. Thank you, Coach T. We are lucky to have you and we are grateful that we were able to honor you on your special day. Pictures from the zoo can be found here (zoo photos) and candid shots from the tournament can be found here (candids).
Below is a summary of the Dare Devils game action on Saturday, October 10th, 2026:
12:15 Game: Dare Devils Red B vs. Mercer/Happy Valley/Bucks County
The visitors came in shorthanded, so the Dare Devils lent them four of our best skaters: Andrew DePiero, Liam Smith, Connor Hung and Sean Glasset. With those guys anchoring them, the visitors jumped out to a fast start and went up several goals. Hung scored the opener, assisted by Smith, and then Smith scored one of his own, assisted by Hung.
Once the Dare Devils settled in, they started chipping away at the lead. The coaches rolled all three lines and they played with great energy throughout the game. Shea Passikoff got the first goal for the Dare Devils, and the teams traded goals from there.
In the final minutes, the Dare Devils mounted a furious comeback and Owen Silverstein eventually tied it in the final minute with a beautiful shot into the top corner. The Dare Devils then had a chance to win, but Silverstein hit the post in the closing seconds and justly, the game ended in a tie.
The Dare Devils scoring summary is as follows: Owen Silverstein (3 goals, 1 assist), Shea Passikoff (3 goals), Alfonso Mosca (2 goals), Bahad Worley (1 goal), Ryan Kientz (1 goal), James Cooney (1 goal), Aaron Quintana (1 goal), Jake Simon (1 goal and great defense), Jonah Barnes (1 assist) and Samantha Ciemieki (1 assist).
Dare Devils scoring for the visitors: Connor Hung (1 goal, 1 assist) and Liam Smith (1 goal, 1 assist).
3:45 Game: Dare Devils Black A vs. Long Island Blues
The marquee game of the day matched up two Northeast Special Hockey powerhouses, and the teams didn’t disappoint. They put on a great show for the crowd.
In an evenly matched game, Long Island came out fast and buried the opening goal. The Dare Devils settled in, thanks to stellar line matching by Coach Jordan, and made the most of their home ice. Then they came roaring back to take a 3-1 lead. Patrick Law scored off a beautiful passing sequence from Reese Citro and Captain Ryan Griffin. Captain Ryan Griffin then found the net himself, assisted by Reese Citro and Danny Giger, and Reese Citro capped the run with a goal of his own, assisted by Captain Ryan Griffin.
The Blues chipped away at the lead, eventually tied it up, and the game ended in a tie.
The heroes of the day were the goalies. Superstar Matty Brighton paced the Dare Devils with over 50 saves, and he was matched by our great friend and rival, goaltender Taylor Esposito.
It was a great showing by every player involved and a great display of the magic that is special hockey.
4:30 Game: Dare Red B vs. York Polar Bears/Washington Ice Dogs
In their second slate of the day, the Dare Devils B squad took on a powerhouse team made up of players from the York Polar Bears and the Washington Ice Dogs. Led by the outstanding goaltending of superstar Matty Brighton, playing back-to-back games, the Dare Devils gave it their best.
The visitors had several star players that were too much for the Dare Devils to keep up with. Still, the Dare Devils put in a spirited effort and kept the score close, with goals from Aaron Quintana and Shea Passikoff. Matty Brighton stood on his head all game, allowing the Dare Devils to remain competitive throughout.
The Dare Devils C team played their opening game on Rink 2 against the Montgomery/Nova squad, at the exact same time the B team was playing on Rink 1. That was a cause of concern for Dare Devils management, but fortunately, the coaching staff runs deep. Coaches Doug Katz and Andrew Hom handled the bench duties and guided the team through a closely fought battle.
Led by the otherworldly goaltending of rookie Mark Papadopoulos, the Dare Devils gave the talented visitors a run for their money. Sean Glasset, continuing his precipitous development, netted two goals, and rising superstar Henry Barrios added one of his own. Kevin Plunkett chipped in an assist, and Ryan Scorsune played strong defense. Newcomer Kieran Reid acquitted himself well in his first game and endeared himself to his teammates with his spirited play.
In the end, the Dare Devils didn’t have enough in the tank to keep up with the talented visitors and lost a hard-fought battle.
