2011-2012 Recaps

2/18 - Blair 0 - Kittatinny 8
Blair faced off against a very skilled and disciplined Kittatinny hockey club and came up short. In the first period, Blair held their own allowing only 2 goals even though they fell well behind in the shot category by a count of 4 to 15. In the second, which has been a troublesome period throughout the season for the Bucs, gave them difficulty again. The Bucs were outshot 17 to 6 and gave up another three unanswered goals. In the third period, Blair put up a fight early on maintaining some offensive pressure, but they were still unable to break the Kittatinny shut-out. By the later stages of the game, they simply did not have enough energy to sustain a consistent threat and then struggled on defense, giving up another 2 goals in a losing effort. In goal, Richie Jiaravanon faced a total of 44 shots and stopped 36.

2/17 - Blair 1 - Warwick 3
Blair played a hard fought game Friday night against a very closely matched Warwick hockey team. The first period was a virtual chess match with both teams controlling the puck in the offensive zones but both unable to find a weakness in the defense, ending the period without a goal being scored. The second period proved to be the most offensive; unfortunately Warwick was able to capitalize first scoring at the 9:29 mark and then adding to their lead less than two minutes later. However, Blair continued to work very hard and with about 3 minutes left in the second, RJ Stein put a beautiful back hand shot over the Warwick goalie's shoulder to come within one. The third period played much like the first with neither team able to find a way to score. But in the last minute of play, Blair pulled their goaltender in lieu of an extra attacker to attempt to tie the game but on an unfortunate miscommunication the puck ended up on the stick of a Warwick forward who had a free shot at an open net with only 9 seconds remaining in the game. Richie Jiaravanon played extremely well in net stopping 33 of 35 shots.

2/11 - Blair 0 - Kittatinny 7
Blair fought a valiant effort Saturday night against a strong Kittatinny team. Blair played a solid first period keeping the Lions from scoring for most of the period and forced most of the play into the neutral and offensive zones. However, the Kittatinny offense was able wear down Blair's defense and proceeded to score two very quick goals in the final minute of the period and then a third in the first minute of the second period. From there, Blair struggled to maintain the edge that they played with during the early stages of the game. Kittatinny then added another goal late in the second and then finished by scoring three unanswered goals in the third. Richie Jiaravanon stopped 33 of the 41 shots faced in the goal.

2/9 - Blair 0 - Columbia Prep 8
The Blair hockey team traveled to New York City on Thursday to play a much more talented Columbia Prep team for the second time this season. Blair played very well during the first period keeping the game close only allowing a couple goals and actually putting some offensive pressure on Columbia Prep. However, a few penalties late in the first period and early in the second began a downward spiral that cost Blair four goals in the second period and put them down by six going into the third period. The Blair team stepped up a bit in the third only allowing a couple more goals, finishing the game down by eight, but showed much more resolve and ended the game on a strong note.

1/27 - Blair 7 - Newton/Lenape 6
Blair earned their first victory of the season on Friday night with a hard fought effort against a strong Newton/Lenape team. Hayden Gill scored his first two goals of the season, the first coming with just over a minute left in the second period tying the game at four apiece. His second, the game winner, was tallied with just 5 seconds left in the game. RJ Stein, Blair's top goal scorer, also had a pair, the first early in the second and his second midway through the third. The remaining goals were scored by Kyle Weis, a player on loan from the Newton team due to a shortage of Blair players. Richie Jiaravanon stopped 19 of 25 shots as the Blair net tender.

1/24 - Blair 1- Newark East Side High 4
Blair played a hard fought game against an equally matched Newark East Side hockey team. During the first period, Blair's RJ Stein scored unassisted about three minutes into the game. Although the first period was a see-saw battle, East Side was able to score their first goal of the game on a nice pass play tying the game at one apiece.

The second period was much like the first with both teams taking their share of offensive zone play. However, East side was able to score their second goal on a defensive break down while in the Blair zone.

By the third period, the Blair players were a bit frustrated and struggled to get many shots on net while East side was relentless and put two more goals by the Blair goalie. In goal, Richie Jiaravanon played well saving 31 of 35 shots. Overall, this game was a very good effort by the Blair Buccaneers.

1/14 - Blair 1 - Kittatinny 3
Blair hosted the rival Kittatinny Saturday night and although it was a hard fought game the Buccaneers came up a bit short. Kittatinny had relentless pressure in Blair's defensive zone and was able to score two unanswered goals during the first period. But early in the second period RJ Stein was able to exploit the Kittatinny's defense and, on a break-away scored bringing the game to within one goal. However, late in the third period, Blair gave up a final goal that also went unanswered. Although Blair forced a good deal of the play in the Kittatinny zone during the third period they could not find a way to get the puck into the net and finished the game down by two goals.

1/13 - Blair 3 - Newton/Lenape Valley 4
The Blair team played a hard fought game against the Newton/Lenape Valley team. The first period was a virtual chess match with neither team tallying any goals. However, in the second period Blair started the scoring with a goal by Conner Long assisted by Connor MacKay but Newton answered back with a goal of their own about a minute later and the period ended with the score knotted at 1-1. The third period was by far the most exciting with a flurry of goals by both teams. Newton started the scoring just over a minute into the third but the Buccaneers would not be denied and answered back a minute and a half later to tie the game once again. However, with 6 minutes left in the game Newton added another goal to take the lead and then put in their forth of the game 40 seconds later and were then up by two. Blair faced the challenge and held strong applying presser in the last four minutes which allowed RJ Stein an opportunity to beat the Newtown goalie and bring Blair within one. However, the Newton defense stiffened and was able to hold Blair to their three goals and took home the victory. Richie Jiaravanon played very well in goal stopping 32
of 36 shots.

1/7 - Blair 1 - High Point 7
Blair took on a superior High Point team and played to the best of their ability. High Point showcased their talent by outscoring Blair 3 to 0 in the first period and then proceeded to dominate the second period following up with 4 more unanswered goals. Blair played a much stronger third period and did not allow High Point to add any goals. Along with this, Blair's Derek Light was able to walk down from the point position, late in the third period, and broke the shut-out on a nice wrist shot from the high slot. In goal Richie Jiaravanon faced a total of 27 shots stopping 20 of them.

1/6 - Blair 4 - Vernon 8
Blair started out the year on a positive note by scoring the first goal of the season, off the stick of Hayden Gill, to take the lead early in their game against a tough Vernon team. However, it was not enough as Vernon was able to counter with two goals of their own to recapture the lead in the first period. The Blair team got themselves into penalty difficulty and played much of the first period short-handed. Although the seconded period was played mostly at full strength, Blair was out scored 2 to 1 giving Vernon a two goal advantage. The lone Blair goal was scored by RJ Stein. In the third period the short bench took its toll and Blair gave up 4 more goals but added two, both were scored by RJ Stein. Richie Jiaravanon made 25 saves off of 33 shots. The final tally was Vernon 8 – Blair 4.

12/9 - Blair 0 - Columbia Prep 5
In their first game of the season, Blair fought hard against a much improved Columbia Prep hockey team. In the first period Columbia showed their improved speed and agility by dominating play in both the neutral zone and in Blair's defensive zone. This allowed Columbia to gain the upper hand in shots on goal by 13 to 2 in the first period. This translated into a 3 to 0 lead at the end of the first. Columbia continued their relentless attack throughout the remainder of the game and out shot Blair by a total of 38 to 6 by the game's end. However, Blair stepped up their defensive game only letting in 2 goals in the second period and then shut them out in the final period. Richie Jiaravanon played an exceptional game in the goal stopping 33 of 38 shots.

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