Players Perspective: Inside the Game

Wings Bring the Heat in the Dead of Winter

2011-01-30T08:32:00.000-08:00

On January 29th, the Wings lit up the Bennett Blazers. While the start of the game started out slow, the Wings quickly gained energy. Scoring first was Michael Wilson early in the first period. Unfortunately the Blazers scored on the Wings soon after. Minutes later, Drew sped down the ice putting the puck in net as well. At the end of the 1st period, the Wings were up 2-1. The Wings were able to hold off the Blazers in the 2nd period with the help of the defense especially Athan Blaine, DJ Hemerka, Ryan Niederkorn, and Isiah Beck. Defensemen DJ Hemerka repeately cut off the opponents heading for our net. Wing, Ryan Niederkorn, gave another point to the Wings as he scored quickly in the second period. Another defensemen, Isiah Beck, scored in the 3rd period with an assist by Jessica Shaw. Everyone played a great game especially Steve Potter, who was so close to having his first goal and played an amazing game all around! Good game everyone!

Not Even Snow Could Stop the Wings

2011-01-09T12:46:00.000-08:00

The weather was bad, but the Wings were good on Saturday as they defeated the Vineland Sled Stars 3-0, to get their first win of the New Year. The offense was powered by Michael Wilson and Athan Blaine. Wilson provided two goals and Blaine provided the third. The defense was also ready to play allowing less than ten shots. When the shots did get through the defense, the trio of goalies were there to protect the net and earn the shutout. Although everyone played well my player of the game is Robert. He constantly hustled back to help the defense and was always near the puck. However, what was most impressive is that he was fearless against Vineland's bigger players. Way to go Robert and the rest of the Wings. Way to start off the New Year.

Wings End 2010 with a Bang

2010-12-28T12:51:00.001-08:00

The Wings ended 2010 with a 3-1 victory over the Vineland Sled Stars on Saturday, December 18th. Athan Blaine led the team with two goals and Mike Wilson added a third. Jessie Beck also tried to get in on the scoring, but was denied by the post. The defense did not disappoint either and only allowed a few shots. Great game by both Danny Wheeler and Steve O'Brien who anchored the team and only had one goal. It was an excellent all around team effort. Thanks to our fans for their support. We would not be the same without you and look forward to seeing you next year.

Wings Brought Down the Hammer on the Hammerheads

2010-12-28T12:16:00.000-08:00

Sunday was a very productive day for the Wings of Steel. The offense spearheaded the victory. Contributing were, Michael Wilson, Isiah Beck, and Ryan Niederkorn. Backing up the offense was solid defense led by captain DJ Hemerka. Goalies Glenn Schulz and Danny Wheeler were solid in goal, shutting down everything that came their way. A great game was played by all!

#6

Wings of Steel Spread Wings, beat snipers 3-1..

2010-12-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday the Wings of Steel beat the Delaware Snipers three to one in a hard fought battle. The wings got a pair of goals from the Beck brothers and a third goal from Andrew Wright. The wings were able to use this offensive support combined with a stellar defensive effort in order to add another win to their record. The defense was shorted handed and had to rotate two main pairs throughout the game. Despite this, Darlene Hemerka, Ryan Niederkorn, Athan Blaine, and Mike Wilson were able to shutout down the best players from the Delaware Snipers. The Wings held onto the puck for most of the game and made the Snipers go 200 feet, up and down the ice, in order to get scoring chances. The Snipers were finally able to break through and get a goal late in the third period; but it was too little too late. The wings look to get another win when they play the Hammerheads in Philadelphia next sunday.

-Glenn Schulz

He Shoots and Scores...and....Again..and...Again...and....Again

2010-11-27T07:49:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday, the Wings of Steel faced up against the Atlantic Hammerheads. Although the first period was slow, the Wings played well only letting one goal in the net. The Wings came back during the second period with 3 goals scored solely by WOS player Athan Blaine. The defense led by DJ Hemerka, Matthew Valentine, and Athan Blaine were able to hold off the opponents from getting near the goalies. In the third period, #6 Blaine scored yet another goal against the Hammerheads as well as the Hammerheads scoring another goal against the Wings. Wings goalies, Danny Wheeler and Steve O’Brien played an impressive game stopping 33 out of 35 shots on net. All of the Wings of Steel players gave an amazing effort! Great job team!

-Matthew Valentine #88

Wings use effort, hustle, timely goals to get by Rangers...

2010-11-15T06:51:00.000-08:00

This past saturday, November 13th, the Wings of Steel took on the Woodbridge Rangers. The game was scoreless mid-way through the first period when #20 Mike Wilson got a breakaway and put the wings up 1-0. Thanks to great defense by all the wings, some timely saves from the goaltenders, and some nice goals, the wings were able to win 3-0.

The effort and hustle was present for the wings from the opening faceoff. Players like Jesse Beck exemplified what kind of hustle was used to beat the Rangers. He made his way to the front of the net-Where the coaches always tell players to go- and he was able to slam home a loose puck to extend the wings lead.

Defenseman, DJ Hemerka, also showed what hustle and effort can do for a team. After the goalie was down and out the play, DJ put herself in the shooting lane to prevent the puck from getting to the goalie. This allowed the goalie to get back into position and make a save a few seconds later.

Everyone on the wings team played a great game and If we continue to play like that, no one will be able to beat us.

Special thanks to our fans who traveled to Woodbridge to watch us play. We love you and would not be able to play without you!

-Glenn Schulz

Squeaked Out A Win!!

2010-11-09T16:49:00.001-08:00

On Saturday November 6^th, the Wings took to the ice as they played the Vineland Sled Stars. Despite not playing their best game of the season, they managed to pull out a 3-2 win!!! WAY TO GO WINGS!! Congrats to Michael Wilson and Ryan Niederkorn on helping wings come out with a VICTORY!!!

Jessica #24

The Wings Showed Some Ablebodies Who's Boss

2010-11-01T17:34:00.001-07:00

The South Jersey Wings of Steel suited up and played an exhibition game against the Jaguars. This was the first time the Jaguars have been on a sled so it was new to them. Matt Valentine started the scoring for the Wings to make it 1-0. The Jaguars were very surprised with Valentine's shooting. The next scorer for the Wings was Raymond Beck, who shot a rocket into the goalie's glove. The puck bounced out and he scored. The two teams settled into the game and it was very competitive. In the second period Raymond Beck went to play for the Jaguars. The Jaguars were happy they had a goal scorer. The game went on and Raymond Beck scored the Jaguars' first goal by beating Danny Wheeler. The Wings then went up by three. The goals were scored by Isaiah Beck, Mike Wilson and Mike Mauger, aka Buddha Man. The score was now 4-1. The game entered the third period where the action continued to go back and forth. The Jaguars then scored again when Isaiah Beck scored on his own net making it 4-2. The jaguars were close again when the Wings scored again. The game was fun to watch for the fans especially when it went into a rare fourth period. Thee jaguars' number 27 scored his first goal and the Jaguars were close again. They then they tied the game with a late goal by Ray Beck again. However, the Wings were determined to win the game and Isaiah Beck and Mike Wilson scored the last two goals to put the Wings up. The Wings won the game 8-6. Thank you Jaguars for playing us!

Wings Pull Out a 4-1 Win Against Woodbridge

2010-11-01T17:29:00.001-07:00

The Wings of Steel led an impressive game against Woodbridge on Saturday 10/23. Quickly within the first period both Isaiah Beck and Michael Wilson scored two consecutive goals bringing the score to 2-0. Woodbridge, though, came back in the second with a goal. With fire in their eyes, the Wings were able to score another goal that period. The defenses as well as our excellent goalies were able to block most of Woodbridge’s shots and keep the puck out of our zone for most of the game. All the Wings players played an amazing game! Good job guys! Keep up the good work!

GOAL GOAL GOAL

2010-10-16T07:41:00.001-07:00

GOAL GOAL GOAL!!!!!

That is what Wings player Andrew Wright said as he scored his third goal of the game to make it his FIRST EVER HAT TRICK against the Delaware Snipers!! Way to Go Drew!! The final score was 5-0!!! Great job by our goals Steve O’Brien and Glenn Schultz as well!!

#24 Jessica Shaw

Over 500 for the First Time This Season

2010-10-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

The Wings made it three straight wins with a win over Delaware on Sunday. There was a competition on the bench as Athan and DJ had a countdown match of who could be louder in order to energize the team. It worked. The offense was on fire once again. It was an all around team effort with multiple players scoring. Buddha Man had a weekend hatrick as he scored one of the four Wings goals on Sunday. The offense was backed by solid defense. The defense allowed less than ten shots and most of the game was played in Delaware's zone. When the Snipers did get a shot the goalies were there to deny them. Great job by Steve and Glenn, both of whom posted a shutout. The younger kids gave great effort and hustle. Way to go. Keep up the great work Wings.

Wings Add Another Win to Their Playbook

2010-10-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

On Saturday October 2nd, the Wings of Steel traveled to Vineland, NJ to play against the Vineland Sled Stars. Quickly within the first period, Michael "Buddha Man" Mauger scored a goal putting the Wings in the lead. After an intense first period due to Vineland tying it up, Buddha Man, assisted by Athan Blaine, scored again 56 seconds into the second bringing the score to 2-1. In the third period, Jessie Beck had 2 goals bringing the final score to 4-1. A great game was played by all, especially by Garret, Steve, Robert, Paul and Drew. Great job you guys! Your really improving! Also, both goalies, Glenn and Danny, were on top of their game and played well. Good job!

MV #88

And Then There Was VICTORY!! September 25, 2010

2010-10-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

Even though the beginning of the season was a little rough, the Wings managed pull out a 2-1 win over the Hammerheads in our third game. Our goals were scored by Michael Wilson and Isaiah Beck. Great job by Glenn Schulz and Danny Wheeler for stopping some hard shots taken by the Hammerhead!!!!

Jessica Shaw

Wings Fall Just Short

2010-09-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

The Wings fell just short once again in their season home opener against Woodbridge on September 19th. The game began similar to last week with the Wings coming out "sleeping." They were down 3-0 at the end of the first period. In the second period the offense began to show signs of life when Athan scored on a rebound from Michael's shot. Wilson then scored one of his own However, Woodbridge got another goal in the second so it was 4-2 going into the third period. During the beginning of the third period the younger players went out and played hard and took momentum thanks to great hustle by Andrew and Jessica. The older players went back in and with approximately five minutes left in the game Ryan scored his first sled hockey goal ever and made it 4-3. With a minute and a half left the Wings pulled their goaltender and put in an extra attacker. Although the Wings put tons of offensive pressure on with the extra attacker they were unable to score. The game ended in a 4-3 loss for the Wings.

Wings of Steel Opener Unsuccessful

2010-09-11T18:01:00.001-07:00

Today, the Virtua Wings of Steel opened their season against rivals, the Woodbridge Warriors. After a summer without any games, the Wings started out "rusty." With the start of the second period, came the awakening of the drive that pushes the players to their max. The first Wings goal of the game was scored by #6 Athan Blaine followed up by another goal scored by #20 Michael Wilson. The Wings fell short, though with Woodbridge coming up with 4 goals. Even though faced with a tough game, the players especially the younger players (Garrett, Robert, Steve and Paul) played well. They had amazing positioning! With the addition of our new goalie, Steve, we are definitely a force to be reckoned with this season!

MV #88

Wings fly to perfection!

2010-03-13T18:52:00.000-08:00

The South Jersey Wings of Steel have become perfect. After beating the NY Rangers 3 to 0 in the finals sunday afternoon, the wings have cemented a perfect season for the record books.
The wings came out flying, hungry for the right to be called undefeated champions. However the NY goaltender played like Henrik Lundquivst and shut the wings down early. Despite the play of the NY goalie, the wings refused to get frustrated. A motivational speech between the first and second period by captain DJ had the wings fired up. Eventually the wings were too much for the NY goaltender to handle and the wings were able to find the twine three times. Even though one may have thought that there was no way the wings could have improved thier game after a very solid effort in the semifinals, everyone stepped up. The defense was oustanding making the art of stopping the puck very easy for Glenn and Dan to handle. The offense kept pounding at the NY goalie. And the coaching staff and fans of the wings brought thier A games as well. At the end of the day, when Coach norm handed out the medals, the gold went to the wings players and the silver went to the rangers players.

P.S. Thank You coaches and fans for always being there for us and reminding us that what ever happens on the ice to always remember that having fun is the main goal in our sport! Thank you! We could not have gone undefeated without you!!

-Glenn

Wings beat Hammerheads move to finals

2010-03-13T18:43:00.000-08:00

The Wings of Steel beat the Hammerheads early saturday morning 3 to 0. The win has propelled the still unbeaten wings into the final game on sunday against the winner of the Rangers vs Vineland. The wings were flown by #20 Mike Wilson as he had two goals and one assist. He assisted the goal of Isahi Beck. All of the players for the Wings had thier skating arms despite the early start time of 6:3o a.m. The passing of the wings was solid and many players crashed the net looking for garbage goals. The 3 to 0 score was upheld by the strong goaltending duo of Dan Wheeler and Glenn Schulz. The wings were also led vocally as well as on the ice by thier captain DJ Hemerka. The wings played a very solid game and now they will put thier undefeated season on the line sunday afternoon in what is sure to be a great final game to the district tournament.

-Glenn

2010-01-23T15:23:00.000-08:00

Saturday January 23, 2010

The Wings are undefeated!!!

Today was a very exciting day knowing that if the Wings beat the Bennett Blazers they would be undefeated. The Wings started the game off at a fast pace with Wilson scoring the first goal. The wings continued to play hard throughout the game. In the early minutes of the second period Tony Martinez scored his first goal ever. He was so surprised and excited that he scored. I want to congratulate my man tony on his first goal. At the end of the second period the Blazers came right back scoring their first goal which made it 2-1 at the end of the second period. It was going into the third period 2-1 the players knew they had one more period to go and the tension was building on the bench. Midway through the thrid period Mike Mauger aka bhudda man scored his second goal of the season. It was a beatiful shoot. bhudda mans shot made it 3-1. Now the Wings had a little breathing room. The minutes began to tick off the clock and we were getting closer to the victory. in the last seconds of the game the blazers scored agian making it 3-2. The Wings just had a few seconds to kill off the clock and they did just that. The horn sounded and the players went and mobbed our goalies. We then shook the Bennett Blazers hands sayin good game.

Today was my last game as most of you know but I would like to thank all the coaches and teamates who got me to where I am now, you guys taught me everything I know and I love ya guys. I really wanna thank coach Tom Brake for all that you have done thank you. Lastly I would like to thank DJ you were the best captian any team could ask for and i love all your energy and motivation during the game thanks DJ and thanks all for everything

Raymond Beck #9

One More Win to Go

2010-01-17T09:38:00.000-08:00

The Wings continued their quest for a perfect season on Friday night with a 3-0 win over Delaware. The Wings were missing several key offensive weapons, but that did not stop them from scoring. Goals were scored by Mike Wilson and Isaiah Beck. Paul the "Terror" Tursi also scored the first goal of his career and earned MVP of the game. Way to go Paul. Excellent hustle by the three musketeers line as well. Way to get after the puck. Another stellar performance by the defense and goaltenders also. They allowed less than five shots and Dan and Glenn posted another shutout. Keep up the great work Wings, only one more win to go.

Fight to the Finish

2010-01-10T04:33:00.000-08:00

The Wings played their most competitive game of the season Saturday, against the Woodbridge Rangers. The offense started slow, but the defense kept the Wings in the game. The first period ended with the score locked at zero. Great job Danny. The offense began to come alive in the second period, scoring two goals. However, the defense faltered slightly and the period ended with the game once again tied. This time at two. Great teams play great when it counts and that is exactly what the Wings did. The offense scored three goals in the final period and the defense tightened up to the lead the Wings to a five to two victory. My players of the game go to the three musketeers. Robert Garret and Tony not only played hard when out on the ice, but also maintained positive attitudes and encouraged their teammates while on the bench. Great job boys.

A special thanks to Ray the "Rocket" Beck who played in his final game as a Wing. You had a great career Ray and we look forward to hearing about you on the next level. Thank you for all you have done for the team and we are glad you will still be at practices.

Wings Make the Sled Stars See Stars Again

2010-01-10T04:27:00.000-08:00

The Wings once again started hot and never looked back. Isaiah Beck scored two goals in the first period. Buddha man also contributed by sacrificing his body by taking a hard hit. However, my MVP for this game was Matt Valentine. He did it all. He made some great defensive plays, by keeping players to the outside and delivering hard hits. He also scored a goal in the third period. Way to go Matt. Great defense was also played by Raymond "the Rocket" Beck. Both our goalies once again played solid games. Way to go boys. It is because of the all around team effort that the Wings are still undefeated. Keep up the great work team

Blazers are Beaten

2010-01-10T04:15:00.000-08:00

The offense was powered by several different players in the win over the Bennett Blazers. Jessica "the Jewel" Shaw started things off with a goal in the first period. Then Matt Valentine continued the scoring in the second period with a beautiful assist from Jessie Beck. However my player of the game has to go to Buddha Man who scored his first goal of the season in the final period to seal a three to one victory for the Wings. Way to go Mike!!! Also we cannot forget the defense. Another solid performance as the defense only allowed one goal. Way to go Wings.

Another Game: Another Win

2009-12-07T06:19:00.000-08:00

The Wings continued their winning ways with a 3-0 win over the Hammerheads to remain undefeated. The offense was paced by Mike Wilson as he scored two goals. Jessica the "jewel" Shaw also posted her second goal in two weeks. Way to go Jess. Jessie the "jet" Beck had two assists. What a great birthday present. Great job Jessie. The three Musketeers line also played awesome. Robert, Tony and Garret showed great hustle and enthusiasm. Keep up that intensity boys the rest of the team feeds off of it. We had some excellent defense in front of goalie Glenn Schulz who posted another shutout. Once again it was an all around team effort. Way to go Wings. Keep up the great work.

10-0 Here We Go!!!

2009-12-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

Hello Wings Fans!!! Here it is our tenth game and the standings still have a zero in the loss column!! The first goal was scored by Jesse The Jet Beck!! Then out of the blue and gold, Jessica The Jewel Shaw comes out to score her first goal of the season and her first goal in about four years making it the game winner!!!! Way To Go!!!! To put the icing on the cake, Jesse The Jet Beck came back with a second goal bringing the final score 3-1!!! Everyone put forth a great effort and played a great game!! Way To Go Wings!!!

Jessica Shaw #24

Wings make Vineland see Stars......

2009-12-04T04:27:00.000-08:00

On November 7th the Wings set up to play another game vs the Vineland Stars. The game went back and forth as both teams battled for a lead. Then the "C" of the Wings...whats her name again?!? o yeah DJ, decided to take over the game. The wings had the puck down low and were doing some great cycling of the puck. Then #20 Mike Wilson saw the "C" sneak down below the circles from her point position. Mike delievered a great pass over to the "C" and she slammed it home for her first goal of the year. The wings captian was sending a message to the rest of her team. The rest of the team got that message. The offense accounted for two more goals and the defense played well in front of goaltenders Dan Wheeler and Glenn Schulz. When the clock hit 0.00 in the 3rd period the wings had racked up another win. This win kept the wings undefeated. The win was an entire team effort headed by the team captian DJ "The C" Hemerka. Great Job Wings!!! Lets keep it up.

11-Glenn Schulz

An Overall Fun Game

2009-11-03T05:58:00.000-08:00

The Wings continued their winning ways with a two nothing victory over the Delaware Snipers. Great effort by Paul "the persistent" Tursi with his break away. The offense was powered with goals by the Isaiah Beck, as well as Michael Wilson. The goalies remained unbeatable. Great effort boys. Defensivewoman DJ Hemerka had an amazing try for a goal. This game allowed all players young and old alike, to participate fully. Robert, that weeks most enthusiastic player, helped motivate the team towards a victory.

Unsung Heroes

2009-11-01T03:52:00.000-08:00

The Wings played their most competitive game of the season this past weekend against the sled stars, but came through with a 6-2 victory because of a great team effort and unsung heroes. Issiah Beck scored three goals as well as Athan Blaine to provide the team with offense. Jess Shaw helped the power the offense with two assists. Way to go. The team needed these contributions because we were missing quite a few weapons including Ray Beck and the team's leading goal scorer Mike Wilson. The defense was also missing several key components including Matt Valentine and goalie Glenn Schulz. Great games by Ryan Neiderkorn, Athan Blaine and goalie Danny Wheeler helped make up for their absence.

The offense took time to get going, having less than five shots in the first two periods combined. However the defense kept the team in the game by only allowing two goals. The Wings went into the third period down 2-1. In the third period Blaine and Beck went on a tear and did not look back scoring five goals in the period. Way to go everyone. Keep up the hard work.

-DH

Here we go again!

2009-10-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

October 18th
The wings are 5-0 with a win against the hammerheads. The wings played a great game by winning 1-0 with mike wilson scoring the only goal in the game. Our goalies played wonderful with both having shutouts today. Guys lets keep up the good work!

-RB

Keeping the Streak Alive With Five

2009-10-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Wings continued their winning ways with a four to zero victory over Woodbridge. The Wings struck early and often and took a three to nothing lead at the end of first period and never looked back. The offense was firing on all cylinders with two goals by Mike Wilson and two goals by Raymond the "Rocket" Beck It was great to see you in "real" action Ray. The defense did their part as well. Special props go out to Ryan. as well as Dan and Glenn for posting another shutout. Great effort everyone. Keep up the great work.

-DH

And the Streak Continues

2009-10-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hello Wings fans! Here we are, our fourth game of the season and still have a zero in the loss column!! Saturday 10/10/09 we had our game against the Hammerheads. And what a game it was! The final score was Wings 3-Hammerheads 2.

Two out of the three goals were scored by The Amazing Michael Wilson and the other was scored by The Talented Mr. Athan Blaine. The coaches did an outstanding job despite one of them having an injury. Both goal tenders did awesome!!

Everyone stayed in their positions and gave it their all to win this game!!!

Congratulations to the Wings on a 4-0 winning streak!!!

Jessica Shaw #24

One...Two....Three.....Wins!

2009-10-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

The wins keep on coming. The Wings went into the game against the Delaware Snipers with a record of 2-0. Well, after 45 minutes of play, that record improved to 3-0. The wings won the game with a score of 3 to 1. The whole team played very well against an improving Delaware Snipers team. The offense was headed by #20 Mike, two goals a game, Wilson. However, the entire offense continued to put pressure on the delaware snipers throughout the game. Goalie, Dan Wheeler, played very well as he replaced Glenn Schulz in the middle of the 2nd period. Wait...who am i forgetting....O yeah the Defense! How could i do that? The defense, headed by Ryan, shut down, Niederkorn, DJ, the captain, Hemerka, Matt, comeback player of year, Valentine, and, Athan, can play anywhere, Blaine made sure that Dan and Glenn came up with thier combined third win of the season.

Everyone played very well and the work ethic was awesome. The hustle was right on!

Go Wings.

P.S. Thank you fans! You are just as important to a win as the players and coaches!

Kicking Butt and Taking Names

2009-10-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

According to the schedule the season began on September 19th. However, I don't believe a season officially begins until a team has its home opener. The Wings protected their house with a 3-0 victory over the Hammerheads. The Wings came out strong and took an early lead with a goal and an assist by Jesse Beck. The offense stalled slightly in the second period but the defense picked up the slack. Our two goalies posted their first shut out of the season. The game ended in 3-0 victory for the Wings. The team is off to a great start. Special thanks to our fans. You help make the Skate Zone the best place to play.

-DH

Season Opener

2009-09-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

The Virtua Wings of Steel opened their season yesterday against the Vineland Sled Stars in Vineland, NJ. The game ran smoothly as Wings player, Michael Wilson, scored a goal early in the first period. Through the course of the game, Wilson, ended up scoring a hat trick. What a way to start the season! Isiah Beck also scored two goals. The game ended in a Wings victory 5-2.

-Matt #88

Welcome!

2009-09-13T07:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone. First, I just want to start out by stating the goals for this blog. We hope to provide a recap after every league game right from the perspective of the player. So after every game, one of the six of us- DJ, Glenn, Jess, Matt, Ray, and Ryan will post a recap within a week of the game. Not only will we just give a summery, we will also give what we think we can improve on for the next game.

-Matt #88

Also, if any other players would like to contribute- email me.