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Union Thunder Junior Hockey News

PLAYOFF RUN

By Emily Sznurkowski 03/06/2024, 5:00pm EST

UNION, N.J. – Just as expected, the Union Junior Thunder have had a spectacular second half of their season. Recently, they have won 4 of their last 7 matchups, including an impressive hard-fought win against the Seahawks Hockey Club. The double-header on Friday at the Aston showcase proved to be a successful one, where forward Ethan Richardson and recent signee Tyler Chmiel were able to both successfully get their first career EHLp goals with the Thunder. 

Team leaderboard contributors include forwards Ryan Byington, David Toman, and recent re-signee James (Jimmy) Delaney. These key players have shown a tremendous effort and proven their improvement from the beginning of the season in September. Byington, despite an injury suffered in January, has been able to get back on the ice healthy, and most importantly, back on the scoresheet. Miles Fairbanks’ 2 way game on both ends of the ice has also been a contributing factor to recent results

The team has already achieved a franchise record of 11 regular season wins, surpassing the 5 wins they had in their inaugural 2022-2023 season just last year. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed.

This weekend, the team begins their long-awaited playoff run. The team battles one of their favored opponents in this play-in-round, the #4 seed Philadelphia Flyers (EHLp). The Thunder have gone undefeated in their last 4 matchups against PLF. They plan on keeping their streak going this weekend.

As always, make sure to tune into this weekend’s games on Hockey TV.

This weekend’s schedule is as follows:

 

Game 1: Friday @ 7:00pm at IceWorks Skating Complex, Aston, PA

Game 2: Saturday @ 2:30pm at Union Sports Arena, Union, NJ

Game 3: Sunday @ 11:00am at IceWorks Skating Complex, Aston, PA

 

HEATING UP

By Emily Sznurkowski 02/01/2024, 1:00am EST

UNION, N.J. - Things are heating up for the Thunder as they near the end of the season. With just 12 regular season games left, let’s take a look at what this past month has been like for the team. 

Puzzle pieces have been falling into place while the Thunder have gone 3-2 in their last 5 games, with 2 wins over the Philadelphia Little Flyers, and a win against the New Jersey Renegades. 

Starting goalie Shawn Kline has been on a roll and currently sits 3rd in the league (out of 20 goalies) with a 0.922 save percentage. Kline has made 664 saves this season (of 720 shots allowed) and has already hit his career 1000 saves. 

Goalie Ryan Wirtz also receives a notable mention as he was able to get a win with his first home start in net against the Philadelphia Little Flyers on January 15th. Wirtz only let in 1 of 32 shots faced in goal. 

Just this past Sunday, January 28th, Brandon Laragga was able to score his first career goal with the Thunder just this past Sunday against the Philadelphia Little Flyers. 

The following forwards have also made a tremendous effort these last 5 games:

Ryan Byington = 3 goals, 2 assists

Paul Rubinshteyn = 2 goals, 2 assists 

David Toman = 2 goals, 1 assist 

Shane Culley = 2 goals

James Delaney = 1 goal,  2 assists 

Colin Coakley = 1 goal, 2 assists

Cody Livernois = 3 assists 

Collectively, the team has scored 12 goals in the last 5 games. With only 12 games left to play before the playoffs, this young team is expected to continue their strong efforts and keep putting numbers up. 

This weekend’s game schedule is as follows:

Saturday, February 3rd - 7:45pm puck drop at SportsCare Arena vs New Jersey Renegades

Sunday, February 4th - 5:00pm puck drop at Jersey Shore Arena vs New Jersey 87s

All games can be viewed on FloHockey.com

 

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CATCHING UP

By Emily Sznurkowski 11/15/2023, 3:45pm EST

UNION, N.J. - After a nail-biting matchup against the New Jersey Renegades on Sunday night , the Thunder were able to secure a hard earned 2-1 win. Goals were credited to Czech native David Toman and local Summit High School Senior, and longtime Thunder Youth player, Paul Rubinshteyn. With Rubinshteyn back in the lineup and on the scoresheet, the team can expect much more offense from the speedy forward. Starting goaltender Shawn Kline had a stellar performance in net allowing just 1 goal on 41 shots, marking his first win of the season. After their play this last weekend, the Juniors have a more positive outlook on how the rest of the season will play out. 

At this point last season, the Thunder had hit their stride and strung together three consecutive wins for the first time - One of them over the Little Flyers and the other two against the Renegades. This is something to keep in mind as the team prepares to hit the road against the Little Flyers on Saturday night, then complete the home and home series back at Union Sports Arena on Sunday afternoon. 

The Thunder certainly do not have issues in net, where starting goalies Shawn Kline and Logan Powell have a combined 0.905% save percentage. With Head Coach Sam Tafel, and his coaching staff working tirelessly to iron out specific weaknesses, the team is beginning to see the results on the ice. Players to look out for the weekend are gap year forwards Ryan Byington, who leads the team with his 6 goals and 2 assists, and David Toman who trails just behind with 4 goals and 2 assists. 

This weekend’s game schedule is as follows: 

Saturday, November 18th - 7:15pm puck drop at IceWorks Skating Complex vs Little Flyers

Sunday, November 19th - 3:40pm puck drop at Union Sports Arena vs Little Flyers

All Games can be viewed on FloHockey.com

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Hockey Insights by former AHL Coach & NHL ANALYST