AHA PW3s Win Valley Hockey League Title!
Andover Warriors Pee Wee 3 VHL Championship Recap
Coaches: Joey Barbagallo, Frederick Porter, Tim Tryder, Barry Finegold
Team Manager: Evelyn Messiner
Tournament Director: Jeff Hemman
The building of culture. The beginning and most important piece of the PW 3’s season. 000 plastered on a beat-up metal military helmet, held up high for the new team to see.
The number 0 signifies new beginnings and the start of a journey. Three in a row is a powerful symbol of change. 000 is a call to act and acknowledgment that we are part of a greater process. We allow ourselves to realize our connection with others, and together, we can follow the endless pathways and INFINITE POSSIBILITIES open to us.
We cannot obtain our true potential until we surrender our need for individual accolades. We must embrace and care for those around us. Celebrate their successes as though they were our own. Assist them, as they will assist us in achieving our goal as a youth HOCKEY TEAM, which is to have fun, learn the sport, and learn to be a good person.
The concept of a team started here. 000
The coaches of the Andover PW 3s set clear expectations of behavior. Each player on the team understood that they must always show respect, above all else. Respect for the game, each other, your opponents, the refs, and when you are away from the team, you continue to show respect. By showing respect, you are respecting yourself.
It was not enough to say the words. The team needed to understand how to show respect. They learned early in the season that our actions have consequences. Coaches reinforced and repeated to the boys that they must choose to show respect. Making good choices and good decisions in the moment is respect in action. A good decision must be made quickly. In life and on the ice. Coach’s promise to the team, “you will never regret a good decision.”
This groundwork was laid down early and never strayed from. The culture was fostered with brute force repetition, like a skills drill at a hockey practice.
000 Respect: The individuals of a team must commit fully to the single greater conglomerate. Not doing so shows a lack of understanding of the game of hockey. Every player and every family member of the Andover PW3 team demonstrated respect to coaches, teammates, Andover Hockey’s supporters, and organizers by committing 100% to their new AHA squad. Their attendance at practices, games, and team events was a major contribution to their chemistry, overall development, and eventual VHL championship.
The Andover PW3 team finished the regular season with a VHL record of 14-6-6. This earned them the #2 seed coming into the six-team playoffs. The #1 seed, Agawam had been moved up to the Pee Wee west division late in the season. Andover PW3 did not have enough games left in the season to catch the 20 wins Agawam amassed in the lower divisions. Andover played the squad once and notched the head-to-head win. Unfortunately, Agawam would maintain the buy and Andover would prepare for a playoff run on the heels of an outstanding trip to Lake Placid!
Round 1 VS Burlington Pee Wee 1 Thursday, March 28th.
The game was moved from Sunday as the squad enjoyed the Lake Placid Festivities that day. The game did not generate much excitement, except for Coach Joey B, whose post-game speech sounded more like post-loss than post-win. Andover quietly drubbed the Burlington PW1s 10-2
Round Two Chelmsford Pee Wee 2 Saturday, March 30th
Andover confidently took the ice, dominating the game from puck drop to final buzzer. The score did not give an accurate depiction of the game. The Warriors controlled the puck and the clock for the entire contest. The shot tally was lopsided in favor of Andover. Two unlucky bounces put Chelmsford on the scoreboard. Excellent goaltending, highlighted by outstanding rebound control, kept Andover’s scoring low. Andover clamped down with a suffocating forecheck late in the third period. Their opponents had no opportunity to pull their goaltender as they could not advance the puck past the red line.
Championship Game Stoneham Peewee 1 Saturday, April 6th
Stoneham Pee Wee 1 took down a Woburn team in round 1 and entered the semifinal game as the underdog. They pulled off a massive upset, defeating the division-leading Agawam team. Outstanding goaltending, the backbone of the Stoneham squad, led to their two playoff victories that got them to the championship.
Andover PW3 attended a morning skate to prepare their minds and bodies for the evening game. The families, coaches, and players rallied at Phillips Ice Rink and formed a convoy for the drive to Malden for the game. The boys went all in, wearing sharp game-day outfits with ties and sport coats that were straight FIRE!
The Andover players and coaches were overwhelmed by the support and outpouring of Andover Hockey's faithful fans! Players from all age levels of Andover Hockey, Mites through High school, attended the game.
The game kicked off with immediate drama. Stoneham, the home team, dictated to Andover that they would not be wearing their home jerseys and instead chose to wear their away colors.
After warmups, only one official took the ice. He addressed both benches and explained that the second referee had taken a puck to the head and was at the hospital. As the dialect was occurring, a replacement was being located.
To the crowd's roar in the packed venue, Andover, in their gleaming whites, made their way out to center ice for the puck drop.
The Andover PW3s demonstrated their abilities and knowledge gained from seven and a half months of playing and learning together right from the onset. Their communication was on point. Their decisions were fast and precise. The team chemistry was on full display.
Throughout the week, Andover PW3s studied the nuances of their opponent. The players used repetition to pattern situational set plays and transitions that would exploit the unsuspecting Stoneham team.
The goaltender that carried Stoneham this far was able to hold off Andover’s barrage through the first period. He allowed only two goals from the myriad of shots fired at him. His form faltered as Andover came out in the second with the same pace of play and notched 5 goals.
By the third period Stoneham was frustrated and looked defeated. Andover’s read-and-react style was too fast for Stoneham.
Andover Goaltender Max Finegold put forth a solid performance. Max handled every shot with confidence and growing excitement as the victory unfolded. A fluky goal midway through the first period gave Stoneham false hope.
Max thwarted all other attempts until another fluky incident occurred late in the third. With 34 seconds left in the game, a van Andover player was moving what appeared to be a harmless rebound to the corner. He lost his handle and tucked it into the Andover net. Max and others immediately gave BIG HUGS. Giggles and smiles spread through the bench as the boys enjoyed the humor of the situation.
Not to be outdone, Andover won the next faceoff clean and moved the puck into the offensive zone. A wrist shot was let loose, and the laser screamed past the right ear of the Stoneham goalie, finding the back of the net with only 8 seconds remaining.
Final score: Andover 8 - Stoneham 2
Andover Box Score:
P1:
7:22 Goal #13 Kaden Lipin Assist #17 Evan Lambert
2:27 Goal #13 Kaden Lipin
P2:
10:43 Goal #87 Jack Messiner Assist #18 Drew Thelen
8:07 Goal #88 Caleb Tryder
6:57 Goal #21 Sam Giaimo
2:45 Goal 18# Drew Thelen
1:10 Goal #37 Joseph Barbagallo Assist #88 Caleb Tryder
P3:
Goal #88 Caleb Tryder
*2023-24 Andover Warriors Pee Wee 3*
37 Joseph Barbagallo “Jumbo Joe”
4 Cooper Beasley “Super Coop”
25 Idemudia Emovon “Mudie Blues”
33 Max Finegold “Mad Max in the Thunder Dome”
21 Samuel Giaimo “Super Sam”
11 Maxwell Hemman “Max-Truck”
14 Michael Karam “Special K”
17 Evan Lambert “The Idol”
13 Kaden Lipin “Upper Lip”
87 Jack Messiner “Mess Hall”
7 Jacob Parrish ”Macaroni”
27 Frederick Porter III “Fast Freddy”
18 Drew Thelen “Thunder Bird”
88 Caleb Tryder ”The Martian”
24 James Zeidman “Big Z“