The New Jersey 87's won three of its four games last week, as the EHL team opened 2021 with a 6-4 win over the Protec Jr. Ducks and a 6-2 victory over the Connecticut RoughRiders. The Premier fell in overtime to the Little Flyers by a score of 3-2, but responded with a 10-1 win over the New Jersey Renegades.

Kicking off the calendar year of 2021, the 87's EHL team hosted the Protec Jr. Ducks at Jersey Shore Arena on Wednesday afternoon. Tyler Ebeling opened the scoring for Protec with a goal at 6:04 of the first period, but the 87's responded with goals from Kei Yasuda, Dante Terramani and Spencer White. Tim DeBord and Terramani scored early in the second period to make it 5-1, but the Jr. Ducks managed to cut down on their deficit late in the game. Jordan Guigui scored a power-play goal at 6:49 of the second, and Olivier Charest and Matt Harvey both found the back of the net with under five minutes left in the third period to make it 5-4. Zach Lindenwirth, in his debut with the 87's, scored an empty netter to make it 6-4. Jon Kopack made 48 saves in a rare game in which the 87's were outshot. 

Two days later, the EHL team hosted the Connecticut RoughRiders for the first of three consecutive games against each other. Tyler Buonopane converted on a breakaway at 5:26 of the first to give Connecticut a 1-0 lead. Similar to Wednesday, however, the 87's would respond and take full control of the game. Dante Terramani scored on the power play at 13:18. Matthew Zdanowicz, who also made his team debut on Wednesday, picked up his first goal with the team when he slipped a backhander through the five-hole of RoughRiders goalie Adam Faust.

As Friday's contest marked the 100th career game for Tim DeBord, he reached another big milestone early in the second period by scoring his 50th career goal with the team. He corralled a pass right in front of the net and shoveled a backhander past Faust for a power-play tally. The 87's added three more goals in the third period, as Cal Couell, Alex Raketich and Kei Yasuda found the back of the net in the final period. Jeremy Connor made 19 saves to improve his record to 7-0-0. 

Following the 6-2 win on Friday, 87's head coach Adam Houli spoke about Tim DeBord and his three seasons with the EHL team.

"Tim Debord is the epitome of the 87’s way. He is exactly the type of player you want when you need to start a program, build upon it and want your program to be championship worthy. Having him hit two major milestones in one game is exactly what Tim deserves. He is a phenomenal player on and off the ice, and I am very happy for him," Houli said.

Friday evening, the Premier team started a back-to-back with a road contest against the Philadelphia Little Flyers. Thomas Yocum opened the scoring for the Little at 11:55 with a power-play goal, but Ben Peiffer responded just one minute and 11 seconds later with a point shot that found its way through traffic. No goals were scored in the second period, but the Little Flyers regained the lead on a goal from Elliot Schon at 3:15 of the third. New Jersey spent much of the period looking for the equalizer, and it finally came with 19 seconds left in regulation as Lucas Kline took a wrist shot from the top of the left circle that went upstairs past Flyers goalie Trey Mattern. In overtime, Schon scored the game-winner with 13 seconds left on the clock, securing a 3-2 win for the Little Flyers while ending the 87's nine-game winning streak.

Saturday night the 87's went to Aspen Ice for a road game against the Renegades. Brian Kologlu scored first for the Renegades at 15:35 of the first period, but the 87's dominated in the final 40 minutes. Hugh McGuigan, Ivan Borisov, Andrew Walsh and Lucas Kline all scored in the second period to make it a 4-1 game. In the third, Walsh scored two more goals to complete the hat trick while Dom Migliorato, Owen Newhouse, AJ Mule and Patrick DeMarinis also lit the lamp. Tyler Roesel made 22 saves out of the 23 shots he faced to secure the win.

Houli talked about the Premier team's weekend, noting that he challenged them to be better in the second and third periods against the Renegades. He praised the way his team responded.

"I like how they played all week leading up to that game and I was very happy with the final on Saturday night. They are beginning to develop that 'it factor' that they’re going to need if they want to make a run in the playoffs. I am excited and hope the players are beginning to see their potential," Houli said.

Additional Notes

-Matt Bielinski had four assists in the EHL team's win over the Jr. Ducks, and added one more in Friday's contest against the RoughRiders.

-Andrew Walsh's hat trick in the Premier game vs. the Renegades featured goals in all three different scenarios: shorthanded, on the power play and even-strength.

-Last Tuesday the Premier team had an exhibition game against the New Jersey Titans North American Tier III Hockey League team (NA3HL). The 87's won the contest by a score of 4-2.

Upcoming games

EHL

Wednesday Jan 20: vs. Connecticut RoughRiders - 12:30 p.m.
Friday Jan 22: vs. Connecticut RoughRiders - 1:00 p.m.
Sunday Jan 24: at Protec Jr Ducks - 6:30 p.m.

Premier

Friday Jan 22: vs. New Jersey Renegades - 8:25 p.m.
Sunday Jan 24: vs. Philadelphia Little Flyers - 10:50 a.m.

Photo credit: Tom Smith