SYRACUSE STARS CONTINUE STRONG START

Syracuse, NY- The Syracuse Stars Jr. As continued their strong play as they took 3 out of 4 points on the road against a very strong Baystate team this past weekend.

Coming off last weeks sweep at home against Bridgewater the Stars took the long trip to The Bog to take on the Breakers, the Stars bounced back off a 3-2 overtime loss on Saturday to pull out a 5-3 win on Sunday.

Josh Larose paced the Stars in game 1 as he notched both goals including the game tying goal with just over a minute left. The Breakers got the win as they ran a textbook face off play with 39 seconds left in OT for the winner. Eric Sorenson was stellar in the Stars nets making 38 saves. In Game 2, Blake Dougherty kept the Stars in it during the first 2 periods on his way to 35 saves and the win. Trailing 3-2 going into the 3rd period, the Stars came from behind for the 6th time in 7 games with 3 goals to post the 5-3 win. 5 different scorers lit the lamp for Syracuse in this one as the Stars got goals from every line.

The Stars coaching staff has been impressed by the tenacity of the team in coming back in all of these games to gain points but noted they would love to see the team get out to a few more leads going into the 3rd period. The squad is building character with each comeback and will hopefully be able to draw on these efforts as the season continues.

Early in the season the Stars have shown their depth as they are getting contributions throughout their lineup. Injuries have taken a toll as they have with many teams. The Stars are without last years' leading scorer, Mike Montagna (Vermont 10,) as he went in for surgery and will be out until at least January. Goalie Anthony Cadieux (Army 10) has been out since the first exhibition game due to a concussion. Promising rookie John Knisley (Cornell 11) has yet to be cleared after off season surgery and Syracuse is looking forward to getting him in the line up. Many games have been lost to veterans John Hero and Chase Fuchs as well this season. Another rookie, Ethan Witkop, suffered a tough leg injury and will be out for at least another month. With all that the Stars have still managed to put up points in 6 of their first 7 contests and are battling for the top spot in the very tough Northern Division of the EJHL in the first month of the season.

The Stars are being led by last seasons rookie of the year, Joe Wilson (Colgate 11) with 12 (5-7) points in the first 7 games. Josh LaRose has also posted 12 (5-7) points and has been getting interest from Division One schools with his strong early season play. Promising rookie Mike Zalewski has shown his playmaking ability with 8 assists and 9 points and also has D1 schools taking notice.

Playing teams like Bridgewater, Baystate and the Bruins early has shown how deep the Stars are this year. Justin Bruckel has been very good for the Stars with 8 pts(4-4) early and has scored some big goals. Ryan Farnan has also posted a strong start with 9 pts(5-4) points including a big hat trick vs the Bandits to lead the Stars to a win. Brendon Rothfuss has posted 2 game winners early and been a strong leader for the team on and off the ice. All of these guys have college scouts at the D1 and D3 levels taking notice. Adam Graff has anchored a line as well and has provided veteran leadership and has gotten college interest. John Hero should be back in the lineup soon and his leadership, playmaking and toughness will provide a huge boost to the Stars this season. He too will make a college coaching staff very happy next season. After battling through injuries all last year Hero will be expected to lead both on and off the ice as one of the teams captains this season.

Rookie forwards include Brant Sherwood, Gabe French and Dustin Oberlander, who have all been on the score sheet early in the year and are contributing in all aspects of the game.

After losing Cadieux in goal the Stars showed how deep they are in net this year as Eric Sorenson has come flying out of the gate with a 2-0-0-1 record including a shutout and a very stingy 94% save rate and a 2.06 GAA. Blake Dougherty has went 2-1-1-0 and has a 90% saves as well and has tied the Bruins while beating Baystate and Bridgewater after a strong preseason that has him getting D1 interest.

On the back line, the Stars have never been deeper. Zach Marginsky, in the coaching staffs eyes, has been one of the top Dmen in the league. The 66" Marginsky has been great in shutting down opposing teams while making very smart plays with the puck all over the ice. He is a definite D1 prospect. Veterans JP Witkop (1-4-5) and Chase Fuchs have been solid early and are getting college looks. Newcomers Matt Deluca, Pete Sweetland, Denis Boblenkov, Aaron Arm and Kyle Brumfield have really provided the Stars with a great core of defensemen. It has been great for everyone as there is competition everyday to get into the lineup. All of the defensemen are getting better everyday as they are pushing each other to be better.

As the season progresses the Stars hope to continue their strong early season play.

As their injured players get healthy it will hopefully lead to a strong push into the playoffs and beyond. If all goes well the strong start by the Stars will be an omen of some very good things to come.
-Courtesy of Syracuse Stars