Springfield, Ma: The Pics U16 squad is again in position to make a run at the “Banner Season” as they begin the back half of the league schedule.  There are only 11 games left and the Pics after the holiday break are ready to return to the ice and make that run over the next two months. 

The U16’s find themselves with an overall 20-10-8 season.  The showcase style schedule at the start of the season allowed the coaching staff of Head Coaches Anthony and John Sarno to find the right line combinations both offensively and on the defensive side.  They seemed to have found that combination as all three of the top line are leading the USPHL’s U16 Division in points.  This line consists of two local returning veterans of the U16 squad (and NCDC drafted) Devin Niles (Hatfield, Ma) and Aiden Pisano (Springfield, Ma) who are joined by newcomer Tom Smentenko from the Czech Republic.  

When asked about the ability of the defense to help them reach their goal Head Coach John Sarno had this to say; “We have a very sold D core…Barbee (Aidden Barbee of Potomac MD) and Aldi (Algirdas Jarad an 07 from Lithuania) logging big minutes…as well as Matthew Percsi (of Palmer, Ma) who was promoted from last years U15 squad and Adol” (Sylvester Adolfsson from Sweden)...

As for the goalies; Coach Sarno went on to say “all 3 goalies have been very solid and give us a chance to win each time we take the ice…Very reliable”.  In goal the Pics have Matteo Lachance from Connecticut who was promoted from last year's PICS U15 squad, Jack Signorelli from Connecticut as well as rookie Massimo De Vita from San Jose, California.  

You can follow all the action and results on our social media platforms or catch games on LiveBarn when available. All Springfield Pics home games are played at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield, Mass.  You can find all the club information at www.springfieldjrpics.com as well as the league's web page at www.usphl.com and for the U15’s and U16’s at https://www.tier1hockeyfederation.com/ 

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The Pics defeated the Kings 3 - 0 on Saturday night, with John Hanscom netting the shutout victory stopping all 25 shots he faced.

Alex Gomes got his first goal as a Pic, and happened to be the game winning goal just past the 3 minute mark into the 2nd period. Nick Disanti and, Coleson Hanrahan got the assists. Aiden Pisano got the insurance goal later on in the 2nd period. Alex Gomes and Ilya Zhuravlev got the assists. In the 3rd period Ilya Zhuravlev scored to put the game out of reach. Brigham Dubey and Nick Zanin got the assists.

Sunday's game the Pics defeated the Kings 4 - 1 in an action filled game.

1st
Nick Disanti started the action just a couple minutes into the game when he got the feed from Coleson Hanrahan. Zack Fox got the assist. Coleson Hanrahan got another goal just a few minutes later. Alex Gomes and Nick Disanti got the assists. Nick Disanti notched his second goal during the 2nd period  when he go the feed from Coleson Hanrahan and Chris Sherwood. 

Cameron Collins broke the shutout attempt in the 3rd period when he go the puck from Jon Alger. Benjamin Collins got the assist.

Brigham Dubey got revenge just a few minutes later when he got the puck from Alex Gomes. Aiden Pisano got the other assist.

John Hanscom stopped 20 out of 21 shots for the win.

The U16 squad kept up their winning ways as they dominated the Boston Advantage - American squad 3 - 1 on Saturday night.

 Aiden Pisano started up the game with scoring just two minutes into the game when he broke down the wing after receiving a pass from Coleson Hanrahan  and was able to deposit it into the back of the net making it 1 - 0. Chris Foster was credited with the secondary assist.

Tyler Genovese tallied his first goal, and what would end up being the game winning goal just under 3 minutes into the 2nd period when he was able to cash in on a rebound from Aiden Pisano. Coleson Hanrahan was credited with the secondary assist.

Nick Disanti got the Pics third and final goal of the game with under 8 minutes to go in the 3rd period.

Wyatt Archibald spoiled the shutout when he scored with 2 seconds remaining in the game.

John Hanscom got the win, stopping 28 out of 29 shots. 

The U16, Elite and Premier Pics teams faced opponents this past weekend. Below is a recap of what happened:

U16
The U16 squad continued their 4 game unbeaten streak with a tie on Saturday against a tough South Shore Kings team 3 - 3, and then slamming the door on them on Sunday 2 - 0 in a penalty filled game.

On Saturday, Zack Fox scored all three goals against the Kings, with scoring the tying goal with just 30 seconds to spare in regulation with the extra attacker on the ice. Coleson Hanrhan had two assists, and Chris Foster and Ilya Zhuravlev each had an assist in Saturday's game. Pics goaltender John Hanscom stopped 40 shots.

On Sunday, it was a different story as Nick Disanti scored what would be game winning goal at the 8 minute mark into the 2nd period, with assists from Brigham Dubey and Coleson Hanrahan.
Dubey put in the insurance goal two minutes later with assists from Fox and Disanti. Ray Picard recorded his first career shutout as he stopped all 36 shots he faced.

Elite
Dom Balboni notched his 100 career point in this weekend's series of games as the Elite squad went 1 - 2. He also extended his point streak to 6 games.

On Friday, it was three unanswered goals in the 3rd period that brought the visiting Bruins' to victory as they defeated the Pics 5 - 2. Pics goaltender Garret Woodruff stopped 41 out of 46 shots in the loss. Dom Balboni and Nick Disanti both scored for the Pics, with Matt Kennedy and Bryce St. Martin each with an assist.

On Saturday, it was two goals from the Islanders that swung momentum the wrong way as the Pics fell to the Islanders 3 - 1. Dylan Taylor scored with just over 10 minutes remaining in regulation. Dom Balboni got the lone assist. Elijah Rapaport stopped 46 out of 49 shots in the loss.

Sunday was a different story as the Pics stole one on back from the Bandits 5 - 4 in overtime.

The first period was all Bruins, and it looked like the Bruins were going to run away with the game with three unanswered goals, but the Pics said no, and answered with 4 unanswered goals, three of them in a period of 2 minutes (one being a penalty shot, as Timofey Basarab was brought down on his way to scoring a goal).

Zach Shupe got the ball rolling when he was able to put back in his own rebound after receiving a pass from Mike Penna. Matt Kennedy got the secondary assist.

Dom Balboni potted his first goal of the night when he received a tape-to-tape pass from Simon Banas, and broke down the length of the ice, getting a close in shot on Bandits goaltender Josh Chausse. It rebounded off him and sneaked in the back of the net to make it 3 - 2.

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​Basarab then converted on his penalty shot attempt when he was able to put it between the legs of the goaltender.

Dom Balboni then made it 4 goals in the period when he was able to get the rebound attempt from Sean Ferus after Balboni passed it to Ferus who initially didn't get it into the net.

​The Bruins then pressed hard and tied the game up with just under 2 minutes remaining when Dean Mason was able to get the puck past Schnoop
Paud O'Brien then returned the favor in OT when he was able to put in a rebound goal from Balbont. Mike Penna got the secondary assist.

Schnoop stopped 23 out of 27 shots for the win.

PREMIER
The Premier squad also went 1 - 2 on the weekend, defeating the South Shore Kings 8 - 3 on Thursday, then falling to the Jr Bandits 2 - 1 on Friday, and to the Junior Bruins 4 - 1 on Saturday.

Friday's game, it was the Pics scoring two goals in the 1st period, that started to swing the momentum the Pics' way as Matthew Tullo and Matthew Kowal each got goals in the first period. Oliver Cookson, Cam Gaylor, Matt Pelletier and Timofey Basarab each got assists in the 1st period.

The Kings then spoiled the shutout towards the end of the 1st period with a goal from Drew Arpin.

Nico Rodrigues, Connor Matthews, and Connor O'Brien each got goals in the 2nd period, with Cookson (2), Tullo, Basarab, Nicholas Lopes, and Chase Reynolds each getting assists.

CJ Smith for the Kings got their final goal of the game with just 3 minutes remaining in the 2nd.

Levtuhkov, Kowal, and Stacey all did their part in slamming the door on the Kings in the 3rd period, each scoring a goal. Bouchard, Tullo, Balboni, Perino, Rodrigues, and Moorhouse each scored assists in the 3rd period.

Matthew Jonas stopped 20 out of 23 shots in the win.

On Friday, the Pics fell to the Bandits, who stole one in OT 2 - 1.

Brian Scnindler from the Bandits scored just 4 minutes into the game.

Matthew Kowal scored early into the 2nd period when he received a tape to tape pass from Chase Reynolds. Kyle Nelson got the secondary assist.

Connor O'Brien got send to the bin with just over 10 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Bandits convered on the power play just 18 seconds into the overtime period when Jace Rearic scored. Wyatt Friedlander stopped 28 out of 30 shots in the loss.

On Saturday, The Pics struck first, but it was the Bruins who had the last laugh as they scored 4 unanswered goals to defeat the Pics, 4 - 1.
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Felix Appelt scored the Pics only goal just under 3 minutes into the game, with assists from Andrii Levtuhkov and Nicholas Lopes. Pics Goaltender Matthew Jonas stopped 32 out of 36 shots in the loss.

The Springfield Pics split their series against the Boston Advantage this past weekend, falling to them 4 – 0 at home, then handing them their first loss on Sunday, 3 – 1 on their ice.

Special teams was the name of the game for the Advantage on Saturday, with three out of their four goals made while on the man advantage, or on the penalty kill.

On Sunday, the Pics had contributions from their top two lines. Dube scored the Pics’s first goal, with assists from Pisano and Hanarhan. Hanarhan then channeled his brother and got the game winning goal later in the game. Fox and Disanti had assists on the game winning goal. Fox then tacked on the insurance goal with assists from Foster and Disanti.
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The Pics have a home and home series this coming weekend against the South Shore Kings.

Chris Foster and Zack Fox contributed a combined seven points on the weekend to defeat the Utica Junior Comets 3 - 1 on Saturday, and 2 - 0 on Sunday.

Jason Shafer of the Comets struck first in Saturday's game just one minute into the game, but that was the only goal that the Comets scored as the Pics then put up 3 unanswered goals.

Zack Fox scored the equalizer just under 8 minutes later when he picked up a feed from Foster and Hanrahan. 
Foster then got the game winning goal with just 23 seconds remaining in the 2nd period on the power play as Payton Kimball was called for roughing.

Foster then got the insurance goal with under 30 seconds remaining when he got the feed from Fox and Hanrahan. 

Fox the continued his magic the following night when he lit the lamp twice in the 1st period. With assists from Foster, Disanti and Hanrahan. Fox's 2nd goal of the night was the hightlight reel of the night, as he went top shelf.

The goaltending duo of Ray Picard and Jonny Hanscom stopped a jaw-dropping amount of 96 shots on the weekend, with Picard stopping 60 out of 61 shots, and Hanscom stopping all 34 shots that faced him.

The Pics will then face USPHL newcomer Boston Advantage on Saturday night. Time to be announced later in the week.

The Premier squad went 3 - 1 at the showcase, defeating the Jersey Hitmen twice, and the Utica Jr. Comets once, falling to them 5 - 4 today in OT.

The Springfield Pics open their league schedule this weekend with the Premier’s away from the friendly confines of the Olympia, while the Elite, U16, and U15 open up their home end of their season.

PREMIER

The Premier squad open their season with four games over an extended weekend. They will be facing the Jersey Hitmen and the Utica Jr Comets twice. They will be facing the Hitmen twice on Saturday, once on 3:50pm and again at 9:00pm. They will then face the Comets on Sunday at 10:40am, and again on Monday at 10:30am.
The last time these teams met, the Pics beat the Hitmen 4 – 1 on November 16th, and the Pics and the Comets split their series, with the Pics on the winning end 4 – 3 on September 21st, and on the opposite end with a 3 – 2 loss on February 14th.
The Pics then travel to the Hollydell Ice arena, home of the Skipjacks on October 9th, then back up to Bridgewater for another showcase against the Rockets Hockey Club, The New York Aviators, and the P.A.L. Junior Islanders.
Rob Bonneau, when asked about this coming series was quoted at saying “We are looking forward to getting back to league play. We had an excellent training camp and look to get off to a good start as the division will be extremely competitive all season, and every game will be important.”

ELITE

The Elite squad has a lone game against the Islanders Hockey Club on Saturday at 8:20pm, with Pics broadcaster Eric Richardson having the call. The Islanders elected not to field an Elite team last season. The Islanders have already played 3 games so far, being victorious in all of them.
“We are fortunate that the league is letting us move forward with the season. We are looking forward to our first league game Saturday against a new IHC team which I expect to be just as skilled as our upcoming opponents. We have a mix of veterans, players who have moved up in the organization, as well as newcomers. The Elite team this year is a skilled squad, and anticipates getting back to Nationals, and hope to begin the run on Saturday”, Elite Head Coach Chris Beaudoin was quoted saying when inquired about this upcoming game and season.

U16

The Pics begin the home end of their season on Saturday and Sunday against the visiting Utica Junior Comets at 8:45 pm on Saturday and 5:30pm on Sunday. The Pics and the Comets did not face each other last season.

U15

The Pics face the visiting Utica Comets, as they go to battle on Saturday and Sunday. 8:05pm on Saturday and 3:30pm on Sunday. The Comets were successful all three times last season they faced the Pics. When asked about this coming series against Utica, Head Coach Vern Smith was quoted saying “We’ve got a real challenge ahead of us with a skilled Utica team. We will be forced to up the tempo of our game. We have a number of new faces, so it will be a test for many of our players.”