Santa Clara Blackhawks
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Silver Stick Regional Invitational

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SANTA CLARA BLACKHAWKS	DJHA PENGUINS (BLANK)	DENVER UNIVERSITY	DALLAS ICE HAWKS	SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE	DMHA TITANS	DJHA PENGUINS (CSASZAR)

Blackhawks Silver Stick Invitational Record

GP	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA	GFA	GAA
6	5	1	0	10	24	11	4.00	1.83

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Silver Stick Invitational

SANTA CLARA BLACKHAWKS

DENVER UNIVERSITY

DALLAS PENGUINS

DALLAS ICEHAWKS

SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE

DMHA TITANS

Date	Time	Tournament	Location	Opponent	Result
27-Dec-04	11:30 AM	Silver Stick Regional	Frisco - Deja Blue	@ DJHA Penguins - Csaszar	W, 4-3
27-Dec-04	5:45 PM	Silver Stick Regional	Plano - World	DJHA Penguins - Blank	L, 2-3
28-Dec-04	11:15 AM	Silver Stick Regional	Plano - World	San Antonio Rampage	W, 3-1
28-Dec-04	5:00 PM	Silver Stick Regional	PSA Star Center	@ DMHA Titans	W, 7-0
29-Dec-04	8:30PM	SEMIFINALS	Frisco - Stars	DJHA Penguins - Csaszar	W, 4-3
30-Dec-04	11:15 AM	FINALS	Plano - World	@ DJHA Penguins - Blank	W, 4-1

Click Here to see TAHA Records & Standings of Texas teams
Click Here to go to the DJHA Silver Stick Regional Web Page

Hawks Gut it Out to Claim Silver Stick Title
December 30, 2004

Weary & worn, the Santa Clara Blackhawks finally ran out of gas in the third period of their sixth game of the Silver Stick Western Regional tournament.  Battling bumps, bruises, fatigue, a brutal schedule and illness, nine Hawks skaters took the ice against the Dallas Junior Hockey Association (DJHA) Penguins (Blank) in the title game match-up.  An exceptionally strong first period led to a 1-0 lead for the Blackhawks.  The second period was more evenly played, but Santa Clara added two more goals to take a 3-0 lead into the final period.  Dallas pulled out all the stops in the final fifteen minutes, scoring a quick power play goal to narrow the gap to 3-1.  But Santa Clara hung in there, led by exceptional goaltending from Willie Matthews and a hat-trick performance by Eric Fruen, to win the game and claim their second consecutive Midget-A Silver Stick Regional Championship, defeating the Dallas Penguins, 4-1.

Santa Clara came out playing some of their best hockey of the tournament, outshooting the Penguins by a 10-3 margin in the first period.  Three of the first four shots were off the stick of Kyle Nunn, who woke up sick and was questionable to play.  Nunn ran out of steam early, playing only sparsely in the third period.  But his early offensive spark set the stage for a period that the Hawks dominated.  Santa Clara generated a great scoring chance at 8:06 when Phillip Wong and Eric Fruen skated in on a two-on-one.  Wong hit Fruen with a pass right in front, but Fruen's shot was smothered by the Penguins' netminder.  Santa Clara recovered from their missed opportunity to strike first at 1:54.  Derek Fredericks took control of the puck in his own zone after a Chase Brevoort pokecheck, and then skated to his own blueline before feathering a sweet saucer pass to Phillip Wong at the Dallas blueline.  Wong got behind the D for the breakaway and moved in deep before snapping off a wrister that was stopped by the Dallas goalie.  The rebound dropped to the ice, as did the goaltender in an effort to cover.  Lying on his back, the goalie spread his wings to cover as much ground as possible, but in the process he moved the puck just off to the side of the net. Eric Fruen was crashing the crease and he spotted the loose puck and rammed it home to give the Hawks the 1-0 lead that they would hold for the balance of the period.

The Blackhawks earned the first power play, at 10:27 of the second period.  But they were unable to get much going and then disaster nearly struck when the Penguins headmanned a pass to the man exiting the penalty box at 8:27.  He moved in on the unimpeded breakaway, but Willie Matthews responded big time, with an aggressive pokecheck rejection.  Santa Clara's Phillip Wong then had a chance the other way, and though he was unable to get off a shot, he drew a penalty on the play, the second and last of the game against the Penguins.  This time, the Blackhawks converted on the man advantage to gain the 2-0 lead.  Taking a draw in the Dallas zone, Patrick Castagna won it back to Eric Fruen. Fruen snapped off a shot that was gloved and held by the Penguins' goalie, forcing another draw in the Dallas end.  Again, Castagna controlled the draw cleanly back to Fruen.  This time #9 moved toward the middle and fired a howitzer of a slapshot that sizzled over the goaltender's shoulder and into the upper corner of the net.  With a 2-0 lead and more than half of the game yet to play, Santa Clara had to feel good, but they were in no position to relax.  That all changed in a blink of an eye when the Blackhawks came right back to tack on an insurance goal just nineteen seconds later.  With a loose puck sliding deep into the Hawks' zone, Willie Matthews moved far out his net to play it, sending the biscuit over to the side boards where Eric Fruen got to it and poked it toward the middle.  Patrick Castagna picked it up at center ice and then moved to the Penguins blue line before letting loose a blistering slapshot that eluded the goaltender and twisted the twine.  Suddenly, the Blackhawks led 3-0 at the 7:37 mark of the second period.  With a seemingly-secure lead and seventeen periods of all-out hockey under their belts in just four days, the Blackhawks finally began to run out of gas.  Dallas was not about to give up and they proceeded to pound the net with 27 shots over the final two periods.  Santa Clara was bending, but they refused to break.  The Hawks were whistled for their first penalty of the contest at 3:44 of the second period, and they managed to kill it despite good puck control by the Penguins.  Santa Clara nearly turned out the lights on the Penguins at the buzzer to end the period, but Dustin Holt's open shot was set aside.

Dallas went back on the power play at 14:11 of the final period, and once again they put on a strong power play demonstration.  This time, they converted when a loose puck near the post was swatted past Willie Matthews at 12:41 for the score.  Dallas used the goal to build further momentum and they continued to press the attack.  Santa Clara pressured the Penguins to work for every shot.  Those that got past the front five were gobbled up by Matthews.  At 8:50, Dallas earned another power play, but the Hawks killed it with some body-sacrificing blocked shots.  At 6:40, Phillip Wong was spotted with a breakaway pass coming out of the box, and he moved in and went top shelf, ringing a shot off the crossbar.  The puck dropped to the ice behind the goaltender and he spotted it and covered up just before the puck was able to slither over the line.  Back the other way at 3:07, Willie Matthews stuffed a one-timer from point-blank range with his pads.  Then, at 1:46, Matthews was quick to cover a shot at the post.  Dallas then pulled their goaltender in a last-ditch effort to rally, but their hopes were squashed when Eric Fruen took a short pass from Kevin O'Brien, and floated a shot into the empty net to close it out at 4-1.

Playing with just nine skaters for most of the tournament, and eight for the better part of two games, the Santa Clara Blackhawks demonstrated the kind of heart they have at the Silver Stick Regional.  This squad controlled every third period it played until the final game of the tournament when they relaxed a bit with a 3-0 lead.  They faced the toughest schedule of any team, probably hand-picked  by the Penguins, and they responded by scoring the first goal in every game and by coming from behind to win twice.  This effort should go a long way in building confidence for this team as it continues its pursuit of yet another CAHA title.

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BLACKHAWKS - 4,  Penguins (Blank), 1

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BOX SCORE

TEAMS	1st	2nd	3rd	TOTAL
Blackhawks	1	2	1	4
DJHA Penguins	0	0	1	1

Scoring Summary

First Period
Scoring:  1, Blackhawks, Fruen 3 (Wong, Fredericks), 1:54.  Penalties:  None.

Second Period
Scoring:  2, Blackhawks, Fruen 4 (Castagna), 7:56 (pp).  3, Blackhawks, Castagna 11 (O'Brien, Matthews), 7:37. Penalties:  Lara, Dallas (tripping), 10:27;  Fisher, Dallas (roughing), 8:10;  O'Brien, Santa Clara (tripping), 3:44.

Third Period
Scoring:  4, Dallas, Deshaies (Stofer, Demers), 12:41 (pp).  5, Blackhawks, Fruen 5 (O'Brien), 1:10 (en).  Penalties:  O'Brien, Santa Clara (tripping), 14:11;  Wong, Santa Clara (tripping), 8:50

SHOTS ON GOAL

Santa Clara	10	7	7	--24
DJHA Penguins	3	12	15	--30

Power-play Conversions:  Santa Clara - 1 of 2;  Dallas - 1 of 3.  Goalies:  Santa Clara, Matthews (30 shots, 29 saves; record 4-0-0).  Dallas, Smith (14 shots, 11 saves) and Cramp (9 shots, 9 saves).

Plus/Minus:  +3(Fredericks, Fruen, Wong); +2(Castagna, O'Brien), ;  +1(Holt, Brevoort);  even(Kiernan, Nunn);  DNP(Yedlicka, Pienkos, Baxley, Costa, Venosta, Draper, Hernandez).

Hits:  2(O'Brien, Holt);  1(Castagna, Wong).

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Three Stars of the Game

Willie Matthews - Stepped up when fatigue set in, making 29 stops including 15 in the third period.
 

Eric Fruen - Handled the offensive responsibilities today, with a hat-trick performance.
 

Dustin Holt - Whether playing forward D, #23 was all over the ice, with two hits and a +1 plus/minus.

Repeat Feat is Sweet - Hawks Advance to Finals
December 29, 2004

The Santa Clara Blackhawks advanced to the championship game of the Silver Stick Western Regional tournament with another thrilling, 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the DJHA Penguins (Csaszar) on Wednesday evening.  Santa Clara will meet the sister Penguins' squad, DJHA Penguins (Blank) for the title and an opportunity to advance to the Silver Stick North American championships in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.  Santa Clara will also be looking to avenge their only loss of the tournament, a closely-contested 3-2 loss on Monday.  Trailing 3-2 with less than five minutes left, Santa Clara tied this game up on a penalty shot from Patrick Castagna, and then won it on a wicked wrister from Kyle Nunn at 3:31.  Nunn and Castagna each netted two goals in the contest to lead the Blackhawks.  Castagna also notched two assists.  Additional assists were recorded by Billy Kiernan, Derek Fredericks and Chase Brevoort.  Willie Matthews picked up his third win of the tournament, making 25 stops along the way.

As they have in every game of the tournament, Santa Clara was first to score.  Today, it took only nineteen seconds for the Hawks to deliver that strike.  Chase Brevoort made a nice play to hold the zone, grabbing a clearing attempt and then firing a shot toward the net.  The shot was blocked inside and deflected by Billy Kiernan over to Kyle Nunn.  Nunn took a shot that Patrick Castagna attempted to redirect on goal, but the redirect got tangled in the feet of Castagna and his defender before getting knocked back out toward the right face-off circle where Nunn swooped in and zipped it past the netminder.  It was a good start for the Blackhawks, who played a better all-round game than they had when these teams met previously.  However, the next goal would belong to the Penguins and it would come on a Blackhawks power play at 6:01.  It was the third shorthanded goal that the Hawks have allowed in the tournament.  Santa Clara generated a good shorthanded chance of their own at 4:12, when Phillip Wong fed a wide-open Eric Fruen with a centering pass from the corner.  But the pass was just off Fruen's stick and the Blackhawks were not able to get off a shot.  Santa Clara earned their second power play of the contest at 2:06, but they shot themselves in the foot by committing a minor penalty of their own just nine seconds later.  The ensuing four-on-four worked to the Hawks advantage however, as they regained the lead on a goal from Patrick Castagna at 0:50.  Taking control behind his own net, Chase Brevoort sent a short pass over to fellow blueliner Derek Fredericks, who then feathered a headman pass to Patrick Castagna at center ice.  Castagna then muscled his way between two defenders, regained his balance, and still had the presence of mind to make a deke at the net before backhanding the partial breakaway shot past the goalie for the score.  The period ended with Santa Clara up, 2-1.

The second period was largely a defensive struggle with the Penguins outshooting the Blackhawks 8-6.  The lone goal was scored by Dallas after a Santa Clara turnover in their own end.  After picking a Hawk pocket, a Dallas skater sent a sharp wrister top shelf from the left slot for the equalizer at 10:59.  Neither team was able to capitalize on their two power plays in the period, with Santa Clara's best two chances coming off the stick of Eric Fruen near the 1:00 mark.  The second period ended with the score deadlocked at 2-2.

The Penguins caught a break early in the third period when the Blackhawks were whistled for a minor penalty at 14:35.  Dallas converted when they sent a shot on goal that produced a rebound to the open side of the net.  A Dallas skater was there for the putback to give the Penguins a 3-2 lead at 13:19.  Santa Clara came right back when Phillip Wong found an opening for a partial breakaway at 13:02.  But Wong was stuffed by the netminder as he came crashing into the net.  Back the other way, Willie Matthews made a nice glove save at 10:47.  Santa Clara found themselves shorthanded again at 10:03, and this time they managed to kill the penalty with an outstanding penalty-kill shift from Kyle Nunn. Willie Matthews contributed a key glove save at 8:26.  While the Silver Stick officiating has generally been excellent, the Hawks were unhappy with a non-call on a Phillip Wong breakaway at 8:12.  Wong was tripped from behind as he approached the net and was not able to get off a shot, but play continued with no penalty called.  About a minute later, Patrick Castagna found some space inside, but lost control of the puck when he was checked while attempting to make a move on the goalie.  The Penguins continued to hold the Hawks at bay until Santa Clara caught a huge break at 4:17 when a Dallas player grabbed a loose puck inside the Dallas crease and tossed it out.  The play resulted in a whistle, and a penalty shot was awarded to the Blackhawks. Patrick Castagna was selected by the Hawks to go mano-a-mano against the Penguins netminder.  Castagna walked in deliberately and then made a late move to his backhand, flipping the puck up and over the goaltender.  The game-tying penalty-shot goal resulted in an instant boost of adrenaline for the Blackhawks, and they immediately went back on the attack.  At 3:38, during a sequence around the net, Kyle Nunn took a shot with Billy Kiernan and Patrick Castagna creating traffic inside.  Nunn's shot got caught up in someone's skates and Castagna got to it, shooting it into the goalie's pads.  Castagna then won the ensuing face-off and Kyle Nunn and Castagna both got off good shots that were stopped but not held.  Billy Kiernan then grabbed control near the left face-off dot and ripped a slapshot that was gloved and held.  On the next face-off, Castagna won it to himself and kicked it over to Kyle Nunn who wasted no time zipping it through the goalie for the lightning-strike score.  In a span of forty-six seconds, Santa Clara went from the brink of elimination to the verge of the championship, needing to kill the clock for just 3:31 in order to advance to the finals.  Dallas worked hard to score the equalizer, but the Hawks held them in check until the final seconds of the contest.  With their goaltender pulled for the extra skater, Dallas mounted one last assault on the net, getting a good shot off from the right slot with just a couple of seconds left on the clock.  Willie Matthews made the game-saving stop, but the rebound came to rest on the open side of the net with a Penguin in pursuit.  But Kevin O'Brien beat him to the punch, sweeping the garbage aside as the buzzer sounded giving the Hawks the thrilling win.

Santa Clara now moves to the championship game where these never-say-die Blackhawks will meet Coach Blank's 5-0-0 Dallas Penguins squad for the Western Regional Silver Stick title.

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BLACKHAWKS - 4,  Penguins (Csaszar), 3

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BOX SCORE

TEAMS	1st	2nd	3rd	TOTAL
DJHA Penguins	1	1	1	3
Blackhawks	2	0	2	4

Scoring Summary

First Period
Scoring:  1, Blackhawks, Nunn 4 (Castagna, Kiernan), 11:41.  2, Dallas, Seidel (unassisted), 6:01 (sh).  3, Blackhawks, Castagna 9 (Fredericks, Brevoort), 0:50.  Penalties:  Kleckner, Dallas (high-sticking), 6:44;  O'Brien, Santa Clara (clipping) 5:30;  Nunnally, Dallas (charging), 2:06;  O'Brien, Santa Clara (interference), 1:57.

Second Period
Scoring:  4, Dallas, Seidel (unassisted), 10:59.  Penalties:  Kiernan, Santa Clara (roughing), 8:45;  Boyle, Dallas (high-sticking), 7:45;  Beyer, Dallas (tripping), 3:59;  Brevoort, Santa Clara (interference), 2:51.

Third Period
Scoring:  5, Dallas, Beyer (Fisher, Seidel), 13:19 (pp).  6, Blackhawks, Castagna 10 (penalty shot), 4:17.  7, Blackhawks, Nunn 5 (Castagna), 3:31.  Penalties:  Nunn, Santa Clara (crosscheck), 14:35;  Brooks, Dallas (high-sticking), 12:42;  Holt, Santa Clara (roughing), 12:42;  O'Brien, Santa Clara (charging), 10:03;  Kleckner, Dallas (roughing), 3:36;  Nunn, Santa Clara (roughing), 3:03;  Seidel, Dallas (roughing), 3:03.

SHOTS ON GOAL

DJHA Penguins	7	8	13	--28
Santa Clara	10	6	12	--28

Power-play Conversions:  Santa Clara - 0 of 5;  Dallas - 1 of 6.  Goalies:  Santa Clara, Matthews (28 shots, 25 saves; record 3-0-0).  Dallas, Staab (28 shots, 24 saves).

Plus/Minus:  +2(Fredericks); +1(Castagna, O'Brien, Nunn);  even(Brevoort, Fruen, Kiernan, Wong); -1(Holt); DNP(Yedlicka, Pienkos, Baxley, Costa, Venosta, Draper, Hernandez).

Hits:  4(O'Brien);  2(Holt, Wong);  1(Castagna).

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Three Stars of the Game

Kyle Nunn - Scored 1st goal to give Hawks the lead and scored late to advance them to the finals.
 

Patrick Castagna - Another lights-out game with four points and an 80% winning face-off percentage.
 

Billy Kiernan - His hard work in front earned him 1 assist, and it was a factor on a 2nd Hawks' goal.

Final Four in Store After 7-0 Blowout
December 28, 2004

After a ragged two periods to open the Silver Stick Western Regional Tournament in Dallas, Texas, the Santa Clara Blackhawks have built momentum in each subsequent game.  Needing a win this evening to clinch a berth in the semifinals, the Blackhawks exploded for seven goals in a 7-0 rout of the Dallas Titans.  Patrick Castagna led the charge, scoring four goals and adding an assist. Eric Fruen, Kyle Nunn and Phillip Wong also lit the lamp, and Derek Fredericks contributed a playmaker, tallying three assists.  Besides Castagna and Fredericks, multiple-point games were turned in by Nunn (1 goal, 2 assists), Fruen (1 goal, 1 assist), Billy Kiernan (2 assists) and Dustin Holt (2 assists).  There were stars aplenty in this game, but not enough stars to go around. Devon Luna was perfect between the pipes, stopping all fourteen shots he faced, including a few tough ones in the third period to protect his shutout.  Santa Clara advances to the semifinal round tomorrow where they will meet the winner of tomorrow's Dallas Penguins (Csaszar) vs. San Antonio Rampage game.

Santa Clara put on a dominating performance in the first period, outshooting the Titans, 15-1.  But Dallas' goaltender was on his game early and the period ended in a scoreless tie.  Santa Clara had its chances, including a five-on-three advantage for 1:22.  At 5:15, Dustin Holt generated one of the team's best scoring opportunities, taking a pass inside from Phillip Wong and firing a shot on goal.  But the Titans' backstop made the save and the cover.  Later in the period, Santa Clara returned the favor, committing two minor penalties to give Dallas a two-man advantage for 1:03.  But Patrick Castagna was a one-man, penalty-killing wrecking crew, single-handedly disrupting Dallas' efforts to set up the power play or get off a shot.

After allowing nothing to drop in the net in the opening period, Dallas gave up goal number one on the Hawks' first shot of the second period.  After a Titans' dump-in during a Hawks power play, Derek Fredericks retrieved the puck and moved it forward before sending a pass to Patrick Castagna at the Titans' blueline.  Castagna recovered from a poke check and then moved to the right face-off dot before zipping a wrist shot past the netminder for the score.  Santa Clara extended their lead to 2-0 at 8:24.  With the Blackhawks in possession, Kevin O'Brien delivered a slapshot from the right point that was blocked over to the left-side boards.  Eric Fruen retrieved it and fed Derek Fredericks at the left point.  Fredericks fired a slapshot that produced a rebound to Fruen, and Fruen put it to bed.  The California boys added their second power play goal of the game at 3:18.  Chase Brevoort intercepted a clearing attempt at the center point and sent a shot toward the net that went off a skate and settled out in the center slot.  Dustin Holt was racing across the slot and he moved the puck over to Patrick Castagna who buried it to make it 3-0.

Santa Clara added four more goals in the third period, all of which came in a span of just 1:41.  Phillip Wong was first up.  His goal was started by a face-off win by Eric Fruen in his own zone over to Dustin Holt along the right boards.  Holt pushed the puck ahead and then raced to chase it down.  He got to the puck as it moved deep into the Titans' zone and he managed to push it over to Wong, who was at a bad angle to the net, yet managed to deliver a sizzling backhander that twisted the twine at 11:37.  The Blackhawks made it 5-0 at 10:23.  Derek Fredericks started it with a breakout pass to Kyle Nunn that he tipped through the neutral zone down the middle of the ice.  Patrick Castagna split two defenders to get to it first and then moved in to undress the goalie for the breakaway score.  It was Castagna's third goal of the game and he wasn't finished yet.  Sixteen seconds after Castagna's hat trick goal, Kyle Nunn lit the lamp to make it 6-0.  Derek Fredericks started the play, spotting Patrick Castagna with a nice headman pass breaking into the zone.  Castagna sent a backhand feed to Billy Kiernan who was on the right wing and Kiernan moved all the way in on the goalie before slipping a pass across the crease to Kyle Nunn that Nunn partially fanned on.  But the puck deflected off of Nunn's skate and went into the net at 10:07.  Santa Clara made it three goals on three shots when they scored again just eleven seconds after the ensuing face-off.  Patrick Castagna won the center-ice draw over to Billy Kiernan, who fed a cross-ice pass to fellow winger Kyle Nunn.  Nunn pushed the puck right back to Kiernan, who circled at the Dallas blueline and then penetrated the zone, dropping a pass for Patrick Castagna.  Castagna banged a wrister off the post and into the net, giving him four goals for the game and closing out the Blackhawks assault on the net.  All that was left for the Hawks was to preserve their shutout victory, and they did so with some nice work from Devon Luna down the stretch.  Luna made nine saves in the final period, including a tough pad save at 1:06, to earn the goose-egg win.

Should the Hawks meet Coach Csaszar's Dallas Penguins in tomorrow's semifinal, that promises to be an exciting match-up.  Santa Clara was clearly outplayed by the Penguins in the first game of the Silver Stick Regional, but they prevailed after scoring three goals in the third period, including the game-winner at 0:24.  Csaszar's Penguins will be licking their Texas chops in anticipation of the rematch.

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BLACKHAWKS - 7,  Dallas Titans, 0

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BOX SCORE

TEAMS	1st	2nd	3rd	TOTAL
Blackhawks	0	3	4	7
Dallas Titans	0	0	0	0

Scoring Summary

First Period
Scoring:  None.  Penalties:  Coleman, Dallas (tripping), 10:52;  Gallardo, Dallas (slashing), 10:14;  Fruen, Santa Clara (roughing), 3:04;  Fredericks, Santa Clara (high-sticking), 2:17.

Second Period
Scoring:  1, Blackhawks, Castagna 5 (Fredericks), 11:11 (pp).  2, Blackhawks, Fruen 2 (Fredericks, O'Brien), 8:24.  3, Blackhawks, Castagna 6 (Brevoort, Holt), 3:18 (pp).  Penalties:  Castagna, Santa Clara (hooking), 8:02;  Makarski, Dallas (tripping), 4:43;  Brown, Dallas (headcheck), 0:00.

Third Period
Scoring:  4, Blackhawks, Wong 3 (Fruen, Holt), 11:37.  5, Blackhawks, Castagna 7 (Nunn, Fredericks), 10:23.  6, Blackhawks, Nunn 3 (Castagna, Kiernan), 10:07.  7, Blackhawks, Castagna 8 (Kiernan, Nunn), 9:56.  Penalties:  Holt, Santa Clara (unsportsmanlike conduct), 5:34;  O'Brien, Santa Clara (charging), 0:57.

SHOTS ON GOAL

Santa Clara	15	17	9	--41
Dallas Titans	1	4	9	--14

Power-play Conversions:  Santa Clara - 2 of 5;  Dallas - 0 of 5.  Goalies:  Santa Clara, Luna (13 shots, 13 saves; record 1-1-0).  Dallas, Baron (41 shots, 34 saves).

Plus/Minus:  +5(O'Brien); +3(Castagna, Fredericks, Kiernan, Nunn);  +2(Brevoort, Fruen, Holt, Wong); DNP(O'Brien, Yedlicka, Pienkos, Baxley, Costa, Venosta, Draper, Hernandez).

Hits:  2(O'Brien);  1(Brevoort, Castagna).

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Three Stars of the Game

Patrick Castagna - Erupted for four more goals, giving him 8 goals and 5 assists in just four games.
 

Derek Fredericks - Another great effort from the blueline, netting a playmaker to go with a +3 plus/minus.
 

Dustin Holt - Working hard at both ends, #23 contributed assists on the Hawks' second and third goals.

Eight is Enough as Hawks Stomp Rampage, 3-1
December 28, 2004

Santa Clara came into this morning's contest against the San Antonio Rampage minus one player on an already-shortened bench.  Meanwhile, San Antonio showed up with a spotless 2-0-0 Silver Stick Regional record and an impressive 7-1-1 record in Texoma Travel League play.  With only four of seven teams advancing to the championship round, you couldn't help but look past San Antonio with an eye toward winning today's afternoon game and slipping into the championship round with a 2-2-0 record.  Instead, the Blackhawks played their most impressive hockey of the tournament, scoring twice early and once late to come away with a 3-1 win.  As they have all tournament, Santa Clara never wore out, playing as well or better at the end of the contest as they did at the beginning.  Patrick Castagna, Eric Fruen and Kyle Nunn each scored goals for the Hawks, and Willie Matthews was sharp once again between the pipes, with a 17-save performance to pick up his second win of the tournament.

With the fatigue factor in mind, the Blackhawks figured to need a quick start in order to get a jump on the Rampage.  And that's exactly what they got, scoring on the first shift of the game.  With the puck in the neutral zone, Derek Fredericks outbattled a defender to dump it in.  Billy Kiernan chased it down along the side boards and tipped it to a defender who couldn't quite get a handle on it.  Kyle Nunn took it away and moved deeper into the zone along the right boards before centering a pass to Patrick Castagna who was crashing the net.  Nunn's pass was a couple of inches off the ice and Castagna made a goal-scorer's play to one-time it out of the air and past the goalie.  Before the game was three minutes old, the Blackhawks extended their lead to 2-0.  Starting behind his own net, Derek Fredericks dug a puck loose and tipped it ahead to Patrick Castagna.  Castagna then took off coast-to-coast, faking a slapshot to get around a defenseman at the Rampage's right face-off circle.  Castagna moved in on the goalie and tried to slip one past him, but the netminder made the stop and the rebound trickled off to the other side of the crease where Eric Fruen was headed.  Fruen got there before the goalie could cover, rapping it past him at 9:22.  San Antonio then came right back with a golden scoring opportunity right in front of the Hawks' net.  But Willie Matthews made the big save.  The Rampage finally did get one back, at 7:21, on a nice wrist shot from deep in the slot.  One of the keys to this game was the Blackhawks' ability to stay out of the penalty box.  San Antonio skated on their only power play of the game at 2:43 of the first period and the Blackhawks killed it with the help of a body-sacrificing block by Billy Kiernan, and then a key icing play, also from Kiernan.  Santa Clara closed out the period with short breakaways from Patrick Castagna at 1:46 and Eric Fruen at 0:44,  But the Rampage's goalie stepped up his play and he rejected both efforts.

San Antonio's best period of the game was the second, where they generated eight shots.  But Willie Matthews was up to the task, making several exceptional stops, the first on a point blank chance at 9:32.  Near the 8:40 mark, Matthews faced a series of three good scoring chances, but Matthews stopped them all and Santa Clara was finally able to clear the zone.  The Hawks spun off nine shots of their own in the period, but none of those found the mark either.  Patrick Castagna had the best chance, but his snapper was kicked aside at 6:39.  The period ended with the Blackhawks still clinging to their 2-1 lead.

Tired legs an all, Santa Clara has outplayed its opposition in the third period of each game of the Silver Stick tournament.  Today, the Californians outshot their Texas foes by a 13-4 margin in the final period.  But they were still having trouble getting the insurance goal they so desperately needed.  Patrick Castagna was foiled on two good chances inside at 9:17, the second of which was a quick wraparound after a slippery deke behind the net.  In a relatively penalty-free game, Santa Clara earned a chance on the power play at 6:52.  They immediately went to work with a nice display of good puck movement and possession, particularly between forwards Patrick Castagna, Kyle Nunn and Eric Fruen.  Knowing that they had a lead to protect, the Hawks were looking to eat up the clock while maneuvering for the perfect shot.  That shot finally came with just ten seconds left on the man advantage.  Moving around the San Antonio net and back out into the slot, Castagna dropped a pass back down behind the net to Fruen, then Castagna bolted for the net looking for a give-and-go return feed.  Fruen delivered the pass and Castagna delivered the shot, which was blocked by the goaltender to the other side of the net where Nunn was perfectly positioned to hammer it home at 5:02.  Santa Clara proceeded to kill the balance of the clock, coming away with an inspirational 3-1 victory.

Santa Clara takes to the ice again later this afternoon, in a match-up against the Dallas Titans.  The Titans are 1-1-0 in the Silver Stick Regional, having lost 3-2 to San Antonio before pasting the Dallas Icehawks 7-1.

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BLACKHAWKS - 3,  San Antonio, 1

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BOX SCORE

TEAMS	1st	2nd	3rd	TOTAL
San Antonio	1	0	0	1
Blackhawks	2	0	1	3

Scoring Summary

First Period
Scoring:  1, Blackhawks, Castagna 4 (Nunn, Kiernan), 11:04.  2, Blackhawks, Fruen 1 (Castagna, Fredericks), 9:22.  3, San Antonio, Schroeder (Barger), 7:21.  Penalties:  Fredericks, Santa Clara (tripping), 2:43.

Second Period
Scoring:  None.  Penalties:  Ryznar, San Antonio (tripping), 5:17.

Third Period
Scoring:  3, Blackhawks, Nunn 2 (Fruen, Castagna), 5:02 (pp).  Penalties:  Leahey, San Antonio (unsportsmanlike conduct), 6:52;  Fodermaier, San Antonio (slashing), 2:17;  Castagna, Santa Clara (roughing), 2:17;  Neubert, San Antonio (hooking), 0:51.

SHOTS ON GOAL

San Antonio	6	8	4	--18
Santa Clara	9	9	13	--31

Power-play Conversions:  Santa Clara - 1 of 3;  San Antonio - 0 of 1.  Goalies:  Santa Clara, Matthews (18 shots, 17 saves; record 2-0-0).  San Antonio, Adrian (31 shots, 28 saves).

Plus/Minus:  +2(Fredericks); +1(Castagna, Fruen, Nunn);  even(Brevoort, Holt, Kiernan, Wong);  DNP(O'Brien, Yedlicka, Pienkos, Baxley, Costa, Venosta, Draper, Hernandez).

Hits:  1(Holt, Brevoort, Fruen, Kiernan, Wong, Castagna).

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Three Stars of the Game

Eric Fruen - Scored the game winner on a sweet put-back and added an assist for a 2-point game.
 

Derek Fredericks - With O'Brien in the stands, #61 picked up the slack with an assist and a +2 plus/minus.
 

Patrick Castagna - Did it all, dominating face-offs, scoring the first goal and assisting on 2 others.

No Heroics this Time as Hawks Fall Short, 3-2
December 27, 2004

After escaping with a 4-3 win despite being outplayed for most of this morning's contest against one Dallas Penguins team, the Santa Clara Blackhawks had the opportunity to do it all over again, this time against a second Dallas Penguins squad fresh off a win of their own earlier in the day.  Although Santa Clara actually played a better start-to-finish game against this Penguins team, it wasn't enough, as Dallas overcame a 1-0 deficit and then hung on to win a close, 3-2 game. Patrick Castagna scored both Blackhawks goals, and Devon Luna delivered 20 saves.  But Santa Clara's biggest loss may have come near the end when Kevin O'Brien was whistled for a checking from behind penalty that cost him a game misconduct. O'Brien's presence will be sorely missed when the Hawks dress only eight skaters for tomorrow's game against the San Antonio Rampage.  But it may be missed even more when O'Brien is forced to sit for Santa Clara's next NORCAL came, an important tilt against the Fresno Jr. Falcons.

Each team had early chances in tonight's game.  After Devon Luna came up with two strong saves on Dallas scoring opportunities, Phillip Wong got the Hawks going with two good shots of his own.  But the goaltenders did their jobs, preventing an early strike.  When the strike finally came, it was Santa Clara that struck first.  Taking control behind his own net, Kevin O'Brien spun a pass around the boards where it was backhanded out of the zone by Billy Kiernan.  A Penguins skater attempted to gain control but Patrick Castagna delivered a nice forecheck that knocked the puck loose and over to Kyle Nunn.  Nunn moved along the left boards and into the Penguins zone, where he continued skating in deep before centering a pass just as he passed over the goal line near the left boards. Nunn's pass was right on the money to Patrick Castagna, who one-timed it home for the score.  Castagna's goal came at 8:52, with helpers from Kyle Nunn and Billy Kiernan.  Phillip Wong had a chance to extend the Hawks lead on a partial breakaway at 7:12, but a nice defensive effort prevented a shot.  On the strength of Castagna's tally and eleven saves from Devon Luna, Santa Clara closed out the period with a 1-0 lead.

The second period was evenly played, but this time it was the Penguins who scored the lone goal, a second-effort shot at 9:30.  Santa Clara generated eight shots, but their best chance may have been on a non-shot by Kyle Nunn that rang off the post at 8:05.  The Blackhawks skated on their only two power plays of the game in the second period, but they were unable to convert on either.

The second of those two Blackhawk power plays spilled over into the third period, and in a play reminiscent of Dallas' shorthanded goal this morning, this Penguins squad staged an encore performance, scoring shorthanded at 14:14 to give the Texans a 2-1 lead.  Like this morning, Santa Clara then proceeded to play their best hockey of the game in the final period.  But the outcome would be different this time around.  First, Dallas extended their lead to 3-1 on a shot off the post at 6:19.  Then, Santa Clara made an effort to battle back just as they had done earlier.  The Blackhawks nearly got one back at 6:00 when Chase Brevoort delivered a shot on goal that resulted in a rebound to Phillip Wong.  But Wong's shot was also stuffed and the two-goal lead remained intact.  The Blackhawks finally did narrow the gap to 3-2 on Patrick Castagna's second goal of the game, at 3:36.  After making a nice play to hold the zone, Kevin O'Brien passed ahead to Castagna, who moved into the slot and delivered a low, hard wrister that sliced through the goalie and into the back of the net.  Santa Clara's comeback pressure continued until O'Brien was whistled for the checking from behind penalty at 2:31.  With momentum having been on the Blackhawks' side, that was the break that the Penguins needed to stem the tide and close out the game.

Santa Clara meets the tough, San Antonio Rampage in the first of two games tomorrow.  The Rampage is 7-1-1 in league play and they opened the Silver Stick Regional with a 3-2 win over the Dallas Titans.  Santa Clara will take the ice with only eight skaters, so the Rampage will be out to corral and hogtie the Hawks.  The Blackhawks will then face the Dallas Titans later in the day, hopefully with a "full complement" of nine skaters.  The Blackhawks figure to need at least one win tomorrow to move on to the championship round Wednesday.

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BLACKHAWKS - 2,  Penguins (Blank), 3

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BOX SCORE

TEAMS	1st	2nd	3rd	TOTAL
DJHA Penguins	0	1	2	3
Blackhawks	1	0	1	2

Scoring Summary

First Period
Scoring:  1, Blackhawks, Castagna 2 (Nunn, O'Brien), 8:82.  Penalties:  Fredericks, Santa Clara (tripping), 5:11.

Second Period
Scoring:  2, DJHA, Stofer (Kollaritsch, Lara), 9:30.  Penalties:  Deshais, DJHA (tripping), 6:43;  Crabtree, DJHA (elbowing), 1:08.

Third Period
Scoring:  3, DJHA, Durant (Weissenborn), 14:14 (sh).  4, DJHA, Stofer (unassisted), 6:19.  5, Blackhawks, Castagna 3 (O'Brien), 3:36.  Penalties:  O'Brien, Santa Clara (major, checking from behind & a game misconduct), 2:31.

SHOTS ON GOAL

DJHA Penguins	11	8	4	--23
Santa Clara	7	9	10	--26

Power-play Conversions:  Santa Clara - 0 of 2;  Dallas - 0 of 2.  Goalies:  Santa Clara, Luna (23 shots, 20 saves; record 0-1-0).  Dallas, Smith (26 shots, 24 saves).

Plus/Minus:  even(Castagna, Fredericks, Holt, O'Brien, Wong);  -1(Fruen, Nunn, Kiernan); -2(Brevoort); DNP(Yedlicka, Pienkos, Baxley, Costa, Venosta, Draper, Hernandez).

Hits:  1(O'Brien, Holt, Nunn, Castagna).

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Three Stars of the Game

Patrick Castagna - Scored Both Santa Clara goals and delivered 10 out of the team's 26 total shots.
 

Kevin O'Brien - Led a strong effort by Hawks' blueliners -  notched 6 hits & 3 assists in 2 games today.
 

Billy Kiernan - Hard work paid off with a key, breakout assist on team's first goal.

Outmanned Hawks Ice Penguins with Late Rally
December 27, 2004

The Santa Clara Blackhawks traveled to Dallas, Texas with a short bench consisting of only nine skaters, set to face some tough competition in the Silver Stick Western Regional.  Add a little jet lag to the mix and you have a recipe for disaster.   And in today's opener against the Dallas Junior Hockey Association (DJHA) Penguins, it looked like the Blackhawks were following the recipe precisely.  Santa Clara was outshot by a wide margin early, and despite getting on the board first, the Hawks fell behind 3-1 when Dallas scored shorthanded after a third-period turnover at 13:02.  With the short bench, a fatigued Blackhawks squad might have mailed in the rest of the game.  Instead, the team delivered its best come-from-behind victory of the season when Kyle Nunn, Patrick Castagna and Phillip Wong each lit the lamp in the final 11:11 to lead the Hawks to a 4-3 victory.  It was Phillip Wong who delivered the game winner, taking a cherry-pick pass from Patrick Castagna and going all the way for the breakaway goal with just twenty-four seconds left on the clock.  Goaltender Willie Matthews played a key role in the game as well, as he was peppered with thirty-six shots, many of which were great scoring chances. Matthews made thirty-three stops to pick up the win.

Playing with a mixture of forward lines that had seen little time together, and only three defensemen, Santa Clara looked disoriented early.  Dallas controlled play and wound up outshooting the Hawks 12-3 in the period.  But Willie Matthews kept Santa Clara in it, stopping the first eleven shots he faced.  The Blackhawks then demonstrated that it's goals that count on the scoreboard, not shots, when they lit the lamp first, scoring on the power play at 4:18.  Taking a draw in the Penguins' zone, Eric Fruen battled for control in the face-off circle.  A Dallas skater attempted to poke the puck out of the zone, but Kevin O'Brien intercepted at the blueline and let a slapshot fly.  Phillip Wong delivered on the redirect, twisting the twine from the front porch to make it 1-0.  At 1:19, Willie Matthews delivered a big save, rejecting a good scoring chance before sitting on the rebound to get a stoppage of play.  But Santa Clara took a penalty during the sequence and the Penguins would convert on the ensuing power play on a rebound goal at 0:50.  The period ended with each team having tallied once with the man advantage.

Santa Clara was outshot in the second period by a 13-7 margin, and outscored 1-0, yet you could argue that they set the stage for their comeback with some outstanding penalty-kill work in the middle period.  The Blackhawks were penalized four times in the period, with three of those penalties resulting in five-on-three time.  Dallas had five-on-threes for 47 seconds, 39 seconds, and 40 seconds, yet were unable to convert on any of their second-period power play opportunities. Willie Matthews continued his impressive play, first with a great save early in the period on a breakaway, and then with some stellar work during the penalty kills.  After the Hawks' first penalty, Matthews was called on to make three consecutive rapid-fire rejections, and he delivered the goods.  Those were the best shots that Dallas would get during their power play time thanks to yeoman's work by the entire Blackhawks squad.  Back at even strength, Santa Clara had a great chance to regain the lead on a nice give-and-go sequence between Kyle Nunn and Phillip Wong, but Nunn was denied on a nice save at 4:11.  Dallas then struck lighting with a goal at 0:50.  This time the Penguins slipped one through after Willie Matthews had made the initial stop and a second save on the rebound.  But a second rebound shot slipped through and Dallas took the 2-1 lead into the third period.

The third period opened with Santa Clara taking the ice for the final 1:20 of a power play of their own.  Having scored previously on the power play, this opened up the door for the Hawks to tie it back up.  But instead, a tough giveaway behind their own net resulted in a open shot in front for the Penguins.  Once again, Willie Matthews rejected the first shot, but the follow-up slipped by, short side, and suddenly the Hawks found themselves on the short end of a 3-1 score with just 13:02 left to play.  This is where the Blackhawks could have packed it in.  But instead, they came right back to narrow the gap.  After a pad save off a giveaway at 11:22, Willie Matthews pokechecked the follow-up effort out to Santa Clara's Patrick Castagna.  Castagna broke out through the neutral zone and into Penguins territory, dropping a pass for Kyle Nunn.  Nunn, who has a penchant for finding the top corner of the net with his wrister, did so here, lighting the lamp at 11:11 and narrowing the gap to 3-2.  Nunn's goal inspired the Blackhawks, who were now clearly playing their best hockey of the game despite the fatigue factor.  At 6:37, Santa Clara tied the score after Eric Fruen and Kevin O'Brien made nice plays to hold the zone with the puck in the Dallas end.  O'Brien managed to direct the puck over to fellow blueliner Derek Fredericks, who waited for traffic to move in front of the net before delivering a slapshot.  Fredericks' shot was stopped but not held and Patrick Castagna got just enough of his stick on it to tip the rebound through the goalie and over then line.  With the score now knotted up, Dallas abandoned their clock-killing mode and went back on the attack.  A nice move around a Blackhawks' defenseman  resulted in a short breakaway for the Penguins at 3:27.  But Willie Matthews was there again, making the patient play and stuffing  the open shot. Matthews came up huge yet again at 2:35, making an initial save and then dropping on a rebound chance that nearly got through the five-hole.  At 2:06, Eric Fruen took a headman feed with a breakaway possibility, but a good defensive effort prevented Fruen from getting off a shot.  With the game in the final minute of play, Patrick Castagna tipped a Dallas pass deep in his own end, and then retrieved it just outside the goal crease. Castagna spotted Phillip Wong moving through the neutral zone looking for a cherry pick pass, and Castagna threaded the needle, putting the cherry right on Wong's toothpick at the Penguins' blueline.  Wong moved in with one defender in pursuit, and then deked around the goalie's pokecheck attempt before slipping the biscuit past him for the game winner at 0:24.

Santa Clara will only be able to savor this big win for a few hours, as they face off again later today against a second DJHA Penguins squad, this one led by Coach Blank.  Blank's Penguins won their opener earlier today, defeating the Dallas Icehawks 5-2.

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BLACKHAWKS - 4,  Penguins (Csaszar), 3

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BOX SCORE

TEAMS	1st	2nd	3rd	TOTAL
Blackhawks	1	0	3	4
DJHA Penguins	1	1	1	3

Scoring Summary

First Period
Scoring:  1, Blackhawks, Wong 1 (O'Brien, Fruen), 4:19 (pp).  2, DJHA, Beyer (unassisted), 0:50 (pp). Penalties:  Mathis, DJHA (hooking), 4:24;  Holt, Santa Clara (charging), 1:19.

Second Period
Scoring:  3, DJHA, Kleckner (Boyle, Mathis), 0:54.  Penalties:  Holt, Santa Clara (high-sticking), 10:44;  O'Brien, Santa Clara (interference), 9:31;  Holt, Santa Clara (roughing), 8:09;  O'Brien, Santa Clara (roughing), 6:49;  Kleckner, DJHA (Crosscheck), 0:40.

Third Period
Scoring:  4, DJHA, Mathis (unassisted), 13:02 (sh).  5, Blackhawks, Nunn 1 (Castagna, Matthews), 11:11.  6, Blackhawks, Castagna 1 (Fredericks, O'Brien), 6:37 (pp).  7, Blackhawks, Wong 2 (Castagna), 0:24.  Penalties:  Fruen, Santa Clara (roughing), 13:11;  Seidel, DJHA (double minor, roughing, unsportsmanlike conduct), 13:11;  Boyle, DJHA (roughing), 9:50;  Holt, Santa Clara (slashing), 8:38;  Staab, DJHA (slashing), 8:38;  Kleckner, DJHA (crosscheck), 6:45;  Brooks, DJHA (high-sticking), 6:37;  Nunnally, DJHA (roughing), 4:00;  O'Brien, Santa Clara (roughing), 4:00.

SHOTS ON GOAL

Santa Clara	3	7	12	--21
DJHA Penguins	12	13	11	--36

Power-play Conversions:  Santa Clara - 2 of 5;  Dallas - 1 of 5.  Goalies:  Santa Clara, Matthews (36 shots, 33 saves; record 1-0-0).  Dallas, Staab (22 shots, 20 saves).

Plus/Minus:  +1(Castagna, Nunn, O'Brien, Wong); even(Brevoort);  -1(Fredericks, Fruen, Holt, Kiernan);  DNP(Yedlicka, Pienkos, Baxley, Costa, Venosta, Draper, Hernandez).

Hits:  5(O'Brien);  2(Holt); 1(Castagna, Wong).

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Three Stars of the Game

Phillip Wong - Scored Santa Clara's first & last goals, including the game-winner at 0:24.
 

Willie Matthews - Came up huge time & time again with a lights-out, 33-save performance, and an assist to boot.
 

Kyle Nunn - With the Hawks down 3-1 in the 3rd, Nunn got the Hawks back in it with a top-shelf goal.

 

Silver Stick Records

Teams	Record	Points	Place
Santa Clara Blackhawks	5-1-0	10	1st
DJHA Penguins (Blank)	5-1-0	10	2nd
DJHA Penguins (Csaszar)	3-2-0	6	3rd
San Antonio Rampage	2-3-0	4	4th
DMHA Titans	1-3-0	2	5th
Dallas Ice Hawks	1-3-0	2	6th
Denver University	0-4-0	0	7th

Click on Team Name to visit that Team's Web Page

SANTA CLARA BLACKHAWKS

DENVER UNIVERSITY

DALLAS PENGUINS

DALLAS ICEHAWKS

DMHA TITANS

SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE

December 27 San Antonio Rampage -3 DMHA Titans -2 DJHA Penguins (Blank) -5 Dallas Icehawks -2 Santa Clara Blackhawks -4 DJHA Penguins (Csaszar) -3 DJHA Penguins (Blank) -3 Santa Clara Blackhawks -2 DMHA Titans -7 Dallas Icehawks -1 San Antionio Rampage -4 Denver University -0

December 28 DJHA Penguins (Csaszar) -8 Denver University -1 Santa Clara Blackhawks -3 San Antonio Rampage -1 DJHA Penguins (Blank) -8 DMHA Titans -1 DJHA Penguins (Csaszar) -9 Dallas Icehawks -0 Santa Clara Blackhawks -7 DMHA Titans -0 DJHA Penguins (Blank) -4 Denver University -0

December 29 Dallas Icehawks -5 Denver University -2 DJHA Penguins (Csaszar) -4 San Antonio Rampage -1

 

Silver Stick Championship Round

December 29 Semi Finals DJHA Blank -2 San Antonio Rampage -0 Santa Clara Blackhawks -4 DJHA Csaszar -3 December 30 Championship SANTA CLARA BLACKHAWKS -4 DJHA BLANK -1

Silver Stick Tournament Links

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