*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
*12/19/26 (Sat) - No Practice - Happy Holidays
*12/26/26 (Sat) - No Practice - Happy Holidays
*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
*1/16/27 (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
*2/13/27 (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
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.
We could tell the second we got on the ice that this group is ready. With Frankenfest just one week away, today's practice had great coach and player representation, and everyone was uber focused. It was also great to see our esteemed team photographer, Frank Ingram, in attendance at practice today. Additionally, we would like to thank our players for adhering to our request to only skate with their respective groups. It led to a better flowing practice and we were able to ensure our learn-to-skate players had adequate room to continue to develop their skating skills.
Speaking of, our learn-to-skate players took the ice for the first half of practice, and it was amazing to see how far our newcomers have progressed over the past several weeks. Liam Hogan, Victoria Garay, Sam O'Keeffe, budding goalie Mark Papadopoulos, Bodhi Pilavakis, Shepherd Slootmaker, Ben Ye, Charles Ye and Grant Wnek all continue to impress the coaching staff with their dedication to improvement.
During the second half of practice, Coach Myles made sure the players were locked in for next week's big tournament, with a focus on endurance and skill development. Captain Ryan Griffin (updated Captain's Corner post can be found here) kept everyone on point during power skating drills, and the team put in the extra effort it will take to endure multiple games next weekend. After power skating, the ice was split into three zones. Coach Eric led the players through edge work and shooting, Coach Myles worked on direction changes, and Coach Doug stressed the importance of cycling out of the corner in the offensive zone.
Great work today, Dare Devils! Rest up and get ready for Frankenfest!
All Dare Devils players must be registered and RSVP'd as attending Frankenfest to participate in the tournament. Every player is welcome (and encouraged) to attend the tournament (regardless of skating ability) and will be assigned to a Dare Devils team based on their skill level. Team assignments will be communicated to the players/families via email and they will also be listed on the Frankenfest tab. It is imperative that players only skate during the games to which they are assigned. We will have coaches available to skate with learn-to-skate players during the games, if necessary. Junior coaches are encouraged to attend, as your schedule permits, as we can use your help throughout the weekend.
We will once again be holding our Costume Party at the Turtle Back Zoo on Saturday, October 10th. The festivities will kick off around 6:00pm. There will be pizza dinner, trick or treating, a DJ and dancing, access to the carousel/special exhibits and much more! We can't wait to see everyone having a good time in their costumes! All players/families, coaches and junior coaches are encouraged to attend - even if you aren't skating during the weekend.
Despite the threat of a severe nor'easter, the Dare Devils came out in droves today for our third practice of the season. Fortunately, our coaches also came out in full force. This season, we have more players on the team than we have had in years, so we are extremely lucky that we have so many committed coaches to accommodate the influx of new players. As a result of having so many players, we will be enforcing a split practice format. Learn-to-skate players will be on the ice from 9:00-9:45am. If a player is not a learn-to-skate participant, they will not be allowed on the ice until 9:45, unless they have a parent who is also a coach on the ice during the first session. We appreciate everyone's understanding and assistance in complying with this policy. If we see our learn-to-skate attendance decreasing, we reserve the right to adjust this policy for future practices.
Today, as usual, we started with our learn-to-skate session, and it has been great to see so many players progress so beautifully during the first weeks of the season. Our junior coaches really went out of their way to work with our newest skaters to show them the basics of maneuvering around on the ice. Thank you coaches Carmine, Alex, Asher and everyone else for your dedication.
We have several senior coaches who do not have children on the team, including Head Coach Myles Mitchell, Coach Joe Keenan, Coach Eric Zlotnick and Coach Steve Toledo. Their contributions are a major reason why we are able to continue to allow new players to join the team. In addition to leading the charge in running the drills during the advanced portion of practice, they often put in significant work with our neediest learn-to-skate players. Over the years, it has been inspiring to see them take so many kids that have never been on the ice before and turn them into competent hockey players over the course of a season. We'd also like to acknowledge the efforts put in by our junior coaches. Most are high school students who could be doing many other things on a Saturday morning, but they have thankfully decided to volunteer with our program. Thank you, coaches! Your efforts not only benefit the players, but they give so many families the joy of being hockey parents.
After learn-to-skate, the advanced players made their way onto the ice, where Coach Myles led them through power skating drills and station drills. The players were dripping in sweat at the conclusion of practice so it looks like the team is just about in tip top shape for our upcoming Frankenfest Tournament (10/10/26 to 10/11/26).
During practice, Ms. Grace and Mike Silverstein led a parent q&a session for some of our new participants. Thank you, Grace and Mike! We hope this was helpful for some of the new families.
Lastly, as referenced earlier, our Frankenfest Tournament is coming up (October 11th & 12th). We are still looking for volunteers to assist with various functions throughout the weekend. If you are able and willing, please consider signing up to volunteer using this link.
The Dare Devils were back at it for the second practice of the season, returning to our normal schedule with Learn-to-Skate from 9 to 9:45am and advanced practice from 9:45 to 10:30am. Coach Ritter laid down the law today, making sure the Learn-to-Skate players weren't overwhelmed by our advanced players on the ice. Going forward, advanced players will not be allowed on the ice until 9:45.
Rookies Kieran Reid, Bodhi Pilavakis and goalie Mark Papadopoulos continued to make significant progress in their second week with the team. Veteran superstars Patrick Law, Will Milazzo and Reese Citro anchored the advanced practice and showed the rest of the skaters how the drills should be done.
Coach Myles kicked off advanced practice with power skating drills before splitting the ice into three zones. Coach Myles led a skating station, Coach Joe ran a passing and shooting station and Coach Steve Toledo focused on breakout drills.
Shoutout to Coach T for once again manning the equipment closet. We had several new skaters today and Coach T did his best to ensure everyone was suited up with properly fitting gear. Hopefully Coach T can make his way onto the ice next week.
The team is rounding into shape, and we can't wait to see everyone back on the ice next week.
The Dare Devils hit the ice this morning at Codey Arena for the first practice of the season, marking 25 years of the program. At the suggestion of Captain Ryan Griffin (updated Captain's Corner blog post can be found here), veteran players laced up in white jerseys, just like players did at the very first practice a quarter-century ago.
Practice started at 9am, and it was one of the smoothest season-openers we've had in years. That might not be a coincidence, since Coach Ritter came out of retirement to help on the ice. Players began by reacclimating themselves to the ice and getting their legs back under them. Coach Myles and Coach Steve Toledo then split the ice into three zones: one for our Learn to Skate players, one focused on skating and shooting, and a third on edge work and passing. Practice wrapped up with "Herbies," as players skated to all the lines and back to start getting into game shape.
It was great seeing so many players, both old and new, back on the ice to start the season. There was great representation from our Senior and Junior Coaches, with special credit to Junior Coaches Alex and Sarp, who both went above and beyond helping players throughout the morning. Coach Terence was busy in the equipment closet as always, making sure every player had what they needed. addition, after practice concluded and the players were leaving the arena, several Junior Coaches from the Pingry School handed out gift bags to the players. Your dedication and generosity is greatly appreciated.
After practice, the Howard family hosted a pool party and BBQ at their beautiful estate in West Orange. There was pizza, BBQ ribs, burgers, hot dogs and good drinks for everyone. It was a great way for the team to build camaraderie as we kick off the new season, and a great time was had by all. Thank you to TJ, Mr. Kemonte and the rest of the Howard family for hosting such a great afternoon.
Group night is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3rd (the Devils are hosting Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers). This year the Devils hooked us up and all seats will be in the lower level (Sections 13, 14 and 15). All player and junior coach tickets will be covered by the Dare Devils. All other attendee (including senior coaches) tickets are $60 each. Please register for this event via the website indicating the number of tickets needed. Payments can be made via the website, the team Venmo account or by check. The cutoff for orders is October 11th. Please reach out to Coach Brendon (brendon.passikoff@gmail.com) with any questions.
Earlier today, approximately 80 Dare Devils players, coaches and family members came together to celebrate another successful season with a raucous year-end party at the Bowlero Lanes in Belleville, NJ. After the Smith family showed the way by planning last season's event, our esteemed manager, Bernard, followed the blue-print and did all of the work for this year's celebration (thanks Bernard).
Everyone seemed to have an awesome time. Players, coaches, parents, siblings and friends all had spirited battles in the lanes and based on the number of celebratory dances, there must've been a lot of pins knocked down. In addition to the bowling, there was great food, drinks, a Dare Devils cake and game cards to be used in the arcade.
It is always bittersweet to conclude a season but it was great to see everyone coming together and enjoying each other's company. In addition to the efforts put in by Coach Bernard in planning the party, a debt of gratitude also goes out to Frank and his team of photographers for capturing the events of the day. Frank’s gallery of photos can be found by clicking this link. . And remember, if you received a Polaroid photo from Frank, don't shake it. Thank you Frank and friends, and thank you Coach Bernard! Your contributions are greatly appreciated!
Now that the party is over, it's time for the families to start pounding the pavement and selling raffle tickets, sponsorships, program ads, golf foursomes, donating items for the tricky-tray and/or volunteering in connection with the 15th Annual Bruce Giger Golf Outing on Monday, June 22, 2026. Registration details can be found here and volunteer information can be found here. We desperately need volunteers to be available the day of the outing and we are looking for sponsorships, raffle ticket sales and tricky tray donations. This is our major fundraising endeavor and the contributions allow our team to continue to be one of the premier programs in special hockey. Thank you for your efforts!
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