Ryan Clear and Cam Lindsay earned TSR Hockey star of the week honors as the EHL and Premier teams combined for a 3-1 weekend, including two overtime victories and a shootout win. The EHL team swept its first showcase of the season while the Premier team bounced back from a loss against the Jr. Flyers with an OT win over the Central Penn Panthers.

EHL: 87's sweep showcase with shootout and OT wins 

The EHL team played in its first ever showcase this past weekend at the Rodman Arena, home of the Walpole Express. The hosting team happened to be the 87's first opponent on Sunday, and New Jersey started strong by taking a 2-1 lead in the first half with goals from Trevor Cear and Tim Lazouski.

Jack Lane kept the momentum in the 87's favor by scoring a pair of goals early in the second half. Walpole managed to erase the 4-1 deficit, however, by scoring three times in a span of 4:55. It remained a tie game for the rest of regulation and throughout the five-minute overtime period, leading to a shootout. With the game on his stick, Andrew Maynard walked in and roofed a backhanded shot to give the 87's a 5-4 win.

The following night the 87's faced the Connecticut Chiefs and sprung to a 3-0 lead in the first half with goals from Jack Keryluk, Cam Lindsay and Geoff LaMorre. 

Similar to Walpole, the Chiefs would erase their three-goal deficit in the second half. Scott Lawson completed the comeback effort with two goals in a span of 27 seconds, forcing the game into overtime.

A little over a minute into the extra session, Tim DeBord stole the puck at Connecticut's blue line and slipped a pass to Cam Lindsay, who fired a shot low glove side to win the game and improve the team's record to 4-2-0. Finishing the weekend with two goals and one assist, Lindsay was also named a TSR Hockey star of the week.

When asked about relinquishing three-goal leads in consecutive nights, 87's head coach Adam Houli said it was a symptom of inexperience from his team. At the same time, he commended his team's ability to find a way to win and praised Lindsay's performance over the weekend.

"Cam had a great weekend. He works hard, he skates hard and plays at another level, and he's certainly a guy we're going to rely on throughout the entire year," he said. 

Premier ends weekend split with hat trick, OT winner from Clear

The Premier team started its weekend on Saturday at the Ice Quad Rinks to face the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers. New Jersey conceded a goal in the first period, then Michael Anastasi of the Flyers and Kyle O'Neill of the 87's went back-and-forth with two goals each. Ryan Clear scored 15 seconds after O'Neill's second goal to even the score at three.

Preston Lee scored at 4:38 of the third period to give the 87's the lead, something they held for most of the period. Things took a turn for the worse when a pair of penalties put the 87's in a two-man disadvantage. The Flyers pulled their goaltender to make it a six-on-three power play and tied the game with 1:22 left on the clock. Still up a man, the Flyers scored again to make it 5-4 en route to its first win over the 87's this season.

"We gave them life and the Flyers capitalized," said Houli. "It has to be a learning experience and we have to get better. But the bus ride home, it set in, guys were quiet and understood they needed to be better as a team, and hopefully that makes us better in the long run."

It worked out in the short term as well, when the 87's faced the Central Penn Panthers the following day. New Jersey jumped to a 5-3 lead after two periods, including a pair of power-play goals from Ryan Clear. 

The Panthers refused to back down, as they scored two goals in a span of 28 seconds to even the score at five. Griffin Dublois scored for the 87's to regain the lead, but the Panthers tied it again to force overtime. 

Ryan Clear eventually ended the game in OT with another power-play goal to complete the hat trick, all while snapping the 87's three-game losing streak. Finishing the weekend with four goals, Clear was ultimately named a TSR Hockey star of the week.

"Ryan has really stepped up his game and has wanted to get better each and every day. On Sunday he put it all together, was a very effective player on that ice and reaped the benefit of that," Houli said.

Heuer and Carver give Team Maryland a helping hand

Premier team veterans Brad Heuer and Sean Carver were loaned to Team Maryland's EHL team over the weekend and helped them earn their first-ever win. In the second game of the Walpole Showcase, Heuer notched a hat trick and an assist while Carver added a goal in a 5-2 victory over the North Carolina Golden Bears. 

Premier team defeats Eugene Generals in exhibition match

The Premier team faced the Eugene Generals, an independent Tier III team from Oregon, and defeated them by a score of 4-2. The Generals are touring the northeast in an EHL series and made its first stop in Middletown Thursday afternoon. Joe Guercio, Joe Minio and Rob and Tom Swartwout were the 87's goal scorers while Jeremy Connor and Cameron Carmen each played a 25-minute half in the win. 

EHL Upcoming Schedule:

Friday Oct 5: vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights 7:45 p.m.

Sunday Oct 7: vs. Lehigh Valley Jr. Rebels 7:00 p.m.

Premier Upcoming Schedule:

Sunday Oct 7: @ Walpole Express 2:00 p.m.

Monday Oct 8: @ Connecticut Chiefs 12:30 p.m.